w 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


GREATER  AMERICA 


THE  LATEST  ACQUIRED 

INSULAR  POSSESSIONS, 


igoo. 

PERRY  MASON  COMPANY, 
Boston,  Mass. 


Copyright  1900, 

By  PERRY  MASON  COMPANY, 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


Yet. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

AMERICAN  POSSESSION  OF  PORTO  RICO         .  3 

PORTO  RICO,  PAST  AND  PRESENT       .        .        .  11 

LIFE  IN  PORTO  RICO 19 

PROGRESS  IN  PORTO  RICO 32 

A  FOURTH  OF  JULY 41 

TWO  BOYS  IN  MORRO  CASTLE      ....  46 

BATTLE  OF  MANILA  BAY 67 

THE  FALL  OF  MANILA 70 

LIFE  IN  MANILA 85 

PROGRESS  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES     ....  98 

AT  THE  PUMPING-STATION 109 

MY  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  MANILA    .        .        .        .        .120 

HAWAII  AND  ITS  ACCESSION 131 

HAWAIIAN  VOLCANOES 141 

POI-MAKING  IN  HAWAII 148 

THE  SAMOAN  ISLANDS 156 

TUTUILA  AND  MANUA 166 

GUAM 173 

THE  MIDWAY  ISLANDS .181 

WAKE  ISLAND 184 

THE  GUANO  ISLANDS.  187 


M31O575 


IN  PORTO  RICO. 


American   Possession. 

The  first  acquaintance  that  Porto  Rico 
made  with  the  authority  of  the  United 
States  was  in  May,  1898,  when  the  Ameri- 
can fleet  sailed  along  the  shores  of  the 
island  in  a  vain  attempt  to  meet  the  Span- 
ish squadron  under  Admiral  Cervera.  At 
that  time  our  navy  threw  a  few  shells  into 
the  grand  old  Castle  Morro  at  the  entrance 
of  San  Juan  harbor,  like  callers  leaving 
cards  as  an  indication  of  a  future  visit. 

In  July,  after  the  destruction  of  the 
Spanish  fleet  and  the  surrender  of  Santiago 
in  Cuba,  a  portion  of  the  American  army 
under  General  Miles  invaded  Porto  Rico 
at  Ponce,  without  any  serious  resistance. 
The  Spanish  forces  on  the  island  were  so 
small  that  they  were  able  to  offer  opposi- 
tion only  in  skirmishes  to  the  advance  of 
the  Americans  through  the  country. 

A  fortnight  after  the  capture  of  Ponce, 


AMERICAN    POSSESSION. 


the  President's  proclamation  of  peace  put 
an  end  to  hostilities,  and  the  American 
army  quietly  took  control  of  affairs  pending 
the  final  treaty  with  Spain. 

There  had  been  for  years  a  strong  feel- 
ing in  the  United  States  that  the  people 
of  Porto  Rico,  like  the 
Cubans,  wished  to  be  free 
from  Spanish  rule.  This 
opinion  was  strengthened 
by  the  cordial  welcome 
given  to  the  invading 
Americans.  The  Stars 
and  Stripes  were  raised 
on  many  private  houses 
as  well  as  public  buildings,  and  the 
holders  of  civic  office  gracefully  yielded 
to  military  rule. 

Possibly  the  beauty  of  Porto  Rico,  the 
productive  plantations  and  peaceful  popu- 
lation, and  also  a  desire  to  get  some  little 
return  for  the  cost  of  the  war  may  have 
influenced  our  government  to  ask  for 


GENERAL   MILES. 


AMERICAN    POSSESSION.  5 

possession  of  the  island.  The  prevailing 
belief  that  Spain  would  agree  to  this  was 
confirmed  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris. 

The  United  States  took  formal  and  com- 
plete possession  of  Porto  Rico  on  October 
1 8,  1898,  when  the  American  flag  was 
raised  over  the  palace  of  the  governor- 
general  and  other  public  buildings  at  San 
Juan.  The  ceremony  was  witnessed  by 
throngs  of  people,  among  whom  were 
many  of  the  late  officials  of  the  island  gov- 
ernment, the  evacuation  commissioners  and 
American  military  and  naval  officers. 

The  event  was  a  noteworthy  one  in 
many  respects.  The  acquisition  did  not 
have  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  our 
government  made  by  conquest.  California 
was  acquired  in  the  same  way  fifty  years 
ago,  but  Porto  Rico  is  both  the  smallest  in 
area  of  all  additions  to  our  national  terri- 
tory, and  the  largest  in  the  number  of 
people  whose  allegiance  has  been  trans- 
ferred from  another  country  to  our  own. 


AMERICAN   POSSESSION. 


The  change  was  made  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  Porto  Ricans,  but  there  is 
reason  to  believe  it  was  not  against  their 


GOVERNMENT   BUILDING,   SAN   JUAN. 


wish.  Neither  is  there  any  ground  for  fear 
that  the  acquisition  of  the  island  will  ever 
lead  to  foreign  complications.  The  island 


AMERICAN   POSSESSION.  7 

lies  so  near  the  American  continent  as  to 
be  almost  a  part  of  it ;  and  no  nation  has 
objected  to  its  annexation  to  the  United 
States. 

Nevertheless,  the  annexation  raised  for 
solution  a  new  and  very  important  ques- 
tion, How  is  this  new  territory  to  be 
governed?  The  authority  given  our 
government  is  absolute.  "The  Congress 
shall  have  power  to  dispose  of  and  make  all 
needful  rules  and  regulations  respecting 
the  territory  or  other  property  belonging 
to  the  United  States." 

That  is  the  clause  of  the  Constitution 
under  which  all  our  territorial  governments 
are  organized.  The  system  used  for 
Oklahoma  or  any  other  may  be  adopted, 
even  to  the  total  denial  of  self-government, 
as  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that 
the  government  of  eight  hundred  thousand 
people,  including  nearly  half  a  million  of 
mixed  Spanish  and  Indian  blood,  and  three 


8  AMERICAN   POSSESSION. 

hundred  thousand  negroes,  hardly  one  of 
whom  can  speak  the  English  language, 
could  be  accomplished  without  political 
complications  and  civil  disturbances. 

Perplexity  will  probably  follow  perplex- 
ity. Only  wise,  patient,  far-seeing  states- 
manship will  bring  this  new  element  of 

our  national  life 
into  harmonious 
relations  with  our 
system  of  govern- 
ment. 

There     is     no 

THE  WATER-FRONT,   PONCE.  fi^      pn^le       Of 

international  law  which  regulates  the  rela- 
tions of  the  inhabitants  of  conquered 
territory  to  the  conquering  nation. 

As  in  the  case  of  most  other  conse- 
quences of  war,  there  is  a  tendency  toward 
greater  leniency  than  was  formerly  shown. 
In  ruder  times,  people  who  lived  in  con- 
quered territory  were  given  no  choice. 
They  became,  in  spite  of  themselves,  fully 


AMERICAN  POSSESSION.  9 

subject  to  the  conquering  nation,  and  were 
usually  treated  with  great  severity. 

Nowadays  their  status  is  usually  deter- 
mined in  the  treaty  of  peace,  although 
much  still  depends  upon  the  temper  of  the 
conquering  nation  toward  that  which  is 
defeated.  We  have  a  precedent  of  our 
own  in  this  matter  in  the  treaty  regulating 
the  relations  of  the  people  living  in  the 
territory  which  we  acquired  from  Mexico. 

After  the  Mexican  War  we  allowed  them 
to  remain  where  they  were,  with  their 
property  undisturbed  and  fully  protected 
by  our  laws,  and  to  continue  Mexican  citi- 
zens. Their  position  in  that  case  was  the 
same  as  that  of  any  other  aliens.  But  if 
within  a  year  they  did  not  declare  their 
purpose  to  remain  Mexicans,  it  was  as- 
sumed that  they  intended  to  become 
Americans. 

In  the  case  of  Hawaii,  this  question  does 
not  arise,  for  Hawaii  is  not  ours  by  con- 
quest, but  by  the  joint  action  of  the  two 


10  AMERICAN   POSSESSION. 

governments.  In  the  case  of  Porto  Rico, 
it  is  probable  that  the  precedent  of  our 
arrangement  with  Mexico  will  be  followed. 
Such  of  the  Porto  Ricans  as  prefer  to 
remain  subjects  of  Spain  are  permitted  to 
do  so. 

They  will  not  have  to  sell  their  property 
or  leave  the  island,  and  their  rights  are 
protected  just  as  if  they  were  subjects  of 
England  or  France;  but  if  their  definite 
choice  has  not  been  made  within  a  certain 
time,  it  will  be  assumed  that  they  mean  to 
transfer  their  allegiance. 

It  is  gratifying  to  be  assured  that  the 
great  mass  of  Porto  Ricans  have  already 
expressed  a  desire  to  be  American  citizens. 


UNITED    STATES    VKSSEI.S    OFF    1'ORTO    RICO. 


Past  and   Present. 

When  the  flag-  was  raised  over  San  Juan, 
it  overshadowed  one  house  that,  if  insen- 
sate things  could  ever  awaken  to  feel 
emotion,  would  surely  have  groaned  and 
crumbled.  That  was  the  White  House 
that  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  built  and  lived 
in  nearly  four  centuries  ago ;  but  the  White 
House  survived  the  American  flag,  al- 
though all  that  is  left  of  the  old  conqueror 
himself  is  a  handful  of  dust  in  a  leaden 
casket  that  rests  in  the  Dominican  Church 
of  San  Juan. 

Columbus  discovered  Porto  Rico  on  his 
second  voyage,  in  1493.  At  that  time  it 
may  have  been  the  religious  metropolis  of 
the  Antilles.  The  wonderful  Latimer  col- 
lection in  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
seems  to  show  that  the  other  islanders 
regularly  resorted  to  it.  It  would  appear, 
too,  that  the  natives,  like  the  Aztecs  of 


12  PAST  AND   PRESENT. 

Mexico,  had  a  civilization  of  their  own. 
They  numbered  perhaps  six  hundred 
thousand. 

Ponce  de  Leon  came  over  in  1508,  and 
promptly  began  their  extermination.  He 
and  his  followers  took  everything  the 


WHITE   HOUSE  OF  PONCE   DE   LEON. 


people  had,  and  successive  Spanish  rulers 
followed  his  example.  They  were  disturbed 
in  1595  by  the  attack  of  an  English  fleet 
under  Sir  Francis  Drake. 

The  Spanish  colonies  were  then  far  richer 
in  treasure  than  in  our  own  times.  Im- 
mense booty  was  looked  for  by  the  English, 


PAST   AND   PRESENT.  13 

who  had  received  information  that  a  great 
galleon  or  treasure-ship,  laden  with  gold 
and  silver,  had  taken  refuge  in  the  harbor 
of  San  Juan. 

Desirous  of  capturing  so  rich  a  prize,  the 
English  admiral  anchored  off  the  entrance 
to  the  port,  with  the  design  of  carrying  the 
place  by  a  boat  attack  the  next  day. 

The  rocky  headland  at  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor  was  then,  as  now,  crowned  by 
the  Morro  Castle,  which  opened  fire  on  the 
English  ships  with  disastrous  effect.  One 
shot  entered  a  port  of  the  flag-ship,  and 
penetrating  Drake's  cabin,  knocked  the 
stool  on  which  he  was  sitting  from  under 
him,  and  killed  two  officers  who  were 
sitting  at  the  table  by  his  side. 

On  this  occasion,  at  least,  the  Spaniards 
proved  themselves  by  no  means  deficient 
in  marksmanship;  and  in  the  boat  attack 
on  the  following  day  they  gave  an  equally 
good  account  of  themselves.  The  Eng- 
lish assault,  although  made  with  the 


14  PAST  AND   PRESENT. 


characteristic  courage  and  persistence  of 
Anglo-Saxons,  was  checked  and  proved 
ineffective.  The  treasure  which  had  been 
conveyed  to  the  Morro  was  so  sturdily 


SAN   JUAN   HARBOR. 

defended   that   after   three    days    Drake's 
fleet  withdrew,  unsuccessful. 

But  although  the  Spanish  have  held  un- 
disputed possession  for  three  hundred 
years,  about  the  only  noteworthy  thing  they 
did  for  the  island  was  to  lay  out  the  fine 
military  road  that  runs  diagonally  across 
it,  from  Ponce  to  San  Juan.  Fortunately 
they  could  not  deprive  it  of  the  natural 


PAST  AND   PRESENT.  15 

resources  that  make  it  the  most  beautiful, 
the  most  healthful  and  the  most  productive 
island  of  the  Antilles. 

Somebody  has  aptly  said  that  Porto  Rico 
is  the  only  island  in  the  world  that  is 
shaped  like  a  brick.  It  is  thirty-five  miles 
wide,  ninety-five  miles  long,  and  has  an 
area  of  about  thirty- seven  hundred  square 
miles,  making  it  five-sevenths  as  large  as 
the  State  of  Connecticut. 

Of  its  eight  hundred  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, three  hundred  thousand  are  of  African 
descent,  whose  ancestors  mostly  came  from 
Jamaica.  There  are  about  two  hundred 
and  twenty  inhabitants  to  the  square  mile, 
so  that  the  island  appears  to  be  the  most 
densely  populated  rural  community  in 
America.  When  the  Spaniards  first  took 
possession,  it  may  have  been  as  thickly 
settled  as  it  is  now. 

Along  the  island,  from  east  to  west, 
runs  a  mountain  range  averaging  eighteen 
hundred  feet  in  height.  Between  the 


16  PAST  AND   PRESENT. 

hills  lie  some  of  the  richest  lands  on  the 
globe,  capable  of  producing  astonishing 
crops  four  times  a  year.  The  country  is 
well  watered,  yet  there  are  no  fever- 
breeding  swamps  and  marshes  as  in  Cuba. 
Nature  has  been  so  generous  to  the  land 
that,  even  in  the  cities,  people  have  lived 
unharmed  in  the  midst  of  filth  that  any- 
where else  would  insure  pestilence. 

Every  reader  has  heard  of  two  of  these 
cities,  San  Juan,  the  capital,  and  Ponce, 
near  which  the  army  of  occupation  landed. 
San  Juan,  on  the  north  coast,  built  on  a 
long,  narrow  island  from  which  a  bridge 
runs  to  the  mainland,  is  a  walled  city, 
with  the  portcullis,  moat,  gates  and  battle- 
ments of  the  fortified  towns  of  old.  Thirty 
thousand  persons  live  there. 

Although  the  port  of  San  Juan  is  not  an 
easy  place  to  enter  during  a  stiff  "  norther," 
yet  the  city  is  said  to  have  the  best  harbor 
in  the  West  Indies.  Ponce  city  and  district, 
on  the  south  coast,  with  forty  thousand 


PAST  AND   PRESENT. 


17 


inhabitants,  claims  a  still  more  desirable 
distinction,  that  of  being  the  healthiest 
place  in  the  island. 

Mayaguez,  facing  the  Mona  Passage, 
which  separates  Porto  Rico  from  Santo 
Domingo,  has  a  population  of  nearly 
twenty  thousand;  and  Aguadilla,  Arecibo 
and  Fajardo 
have  each  five 
thousand  or 
more  inhabi- 
tants. 

San  Juan  and 
Arecibo,  fifty 
miles  apart, 
are  connected  by  rail,  and  in  the  whole 
island  there  are,  completed  or  building, 
about  three  hundred  miles  of  railroad  and 
five  hundred  miles  of  telegraph.  Street 
railways  of  a  primitive  type  are  found  in 
several  places.  The  largest  three  cities 
have  the  beginnings  of  telephone  systems, 
and  San  Juan  is  lighted  by  electricity; 


CALLE   DE  CANDELABRIA,    MAYAGUEZ. 


18  PAST  AND   PRESENT. 

but  the  whole  island  is  practically  virgin 
soil  for  the  American  promoter. 

Porto  Rico  has  no  barns,  we  are  told  by 
an  American  visitor,  and  the  vision  of  a 
barnless  region,  so  far  as  sentiment  is  con- 
cerned, is  not  welcome.  How  much  the 
children  of  that  island  have  lost!  No 
haymow  sports;  no  hidings  in  fragrant 
recesses;  no  leaps  into  friendly  depths  of 
the  harvest  of  the  meadows ;  no  rainy-day 
delights,  shared  with  swallows  darting  in 
and  out;  no  memories  of  such  hours  to 
give  their  pleasant  sadness  to  later  years ! 

American  children  will  regard  their  con- 
temporaries in  Porto  Rico  as  fair  subjects 
for  sympathy.  A  typical  barn,  duly  stored 
with  hay,  with  children  to  illustrate  its 
capacity  for  giving  space  and  suggestion 
for  fun,  would  be  an  importation  which 
boys  and  girls  of  the  island  would  appre- 
ciate, especially  in  the  rainy  season. 


Life  in  Porto  Rico. 

When  the  American  fleet  of  transports 
steamed  into  Guanica  Bay,  Porto  Rico,  on 
•July  25,  1898,  I  think  the  thing  that  most 
impressed  us  all  was  the  wondrous  beauty 
of  the  island  we  had  come  to  conquer. 

Close  to  the  shore  before  us  lay  a  quaint 
little  huddle  of  white-walled,  red-roofed 
houses,  still  and  deserted  in  the  morning 
sunshine ;  while  but  a  little  farther  inland, 
to  the  north,  east  and  west,  rose  terrace 
after  terrace  of  verdure-clad  hills,  stretching 
away  in  darkening  emerald  to  meet  the 
wide  blue  sky  at  the  notched  horizon. 

During  the  months  that  followed  we 
became  accustomed  to  the  picturesque 
appearance  of  the  towns  along  our  line 
of  march,  or  in  which  we  were  quartered, 
but  the  hills  and  valleys,  decked  eternally 
in  living  green,  never  lost  their  power  of 
enchantment  to  the  northern  men. 


20 


LIFE   IN    PORTO   RICO. 


For  a  considerable  period  after  my  arrival 
in  Porto  Rico  I  was  kept  sufficiently  busy 
attending  to  my  army  duties,  but  after  hos- 
tilities had  ceased,  and  the  people  had 
settled  back  into  the  even  tenor  of  more 
peaceful  days,  I  found  much  to  interest  me 

in  a  close  observa- 
tion of  their  most 
prominent  char- 
acteristics. 

The  inhabitants 
of  this  island  num- 
ber nearly  a  mil- 
lion, and  of  these 
about  two-thirds 
are  white.  The 
remainder  are  every  conceivable  shade  of 
brown,  yellow  and  black.  Those  of  the 
people  who  boast  a  pure  Spanish  descent 
are  not  in  large  proportion,  and  form  a 
separate  class  of  extremely  aristocratic  ten- 
dencies. They  are  well  educated,  chival- 
rous and  proud  ;  distinguished  for  a  love 


A    MILITARY    PRISON. 


LIFE  IN  PORTO   RICO.  21 

of  good  music,  happy  domestic  relation- 
ships, bountiful  hospitality,  and  devotion  to 
the  mother  country. 

Like  all  other  dwellers  in  the  warmer 
latitudes,  the  Porto  Ricans  are  bitterly 
opposed  to  any  work  that  is  not  absolutely 
necessary,  and  in  a  corresponding  degree 
are  constantly  in  pursuit  of  pleasure. 

Yet,  either  because  they  are  easily 
entertained,  or  because  of  their  chronic 
lack  of  energy,  the  popular  amusements 
are  exceedingly  few  and  rather  monoto- 
nous in  essentials. 

No  town  is  so  poor  that  it  does  not  sup- 
port a  band  of  musicians,  and  concerts 
are  given  twice  a  week  in  every  principal 
plaza  throughout  the  island.  Everybody 
goes  to  these  concerts,  rich  and  poor  alike, 
to  promenade  back  and  forth  for  two  joyous 
hours,  clad  in  their  best. 

In  the  houses  one  will  always  find  a 
guitar,  and,  as  a  rule^the  natives  are  sweet 
singers.  The  standard  of  their  music  is 


22  LIFE  IN   PORTO  RICO. 

surprisingly    high,    and    their    undoubted 
passion  for  it  is  a  hopeful  sign. 

Sunday  is  kept  wholly  as  a  gay  holiday. 
The  churches  are  well  filled  at  the  earlier 
services,  but  in  the  afternoon  every  one  is 
off  to  see  a  cocking-main,  or  a  bull-fight, 
or  perhaps  to  hold  a  merry  picnic  in  some 
favorite  grove  of  palms. 

When  night  has  fallen,  there  are  count- 
less formal  receptions,  dinners  and  balls; 

these  last  are  very 
exclusive  and  never 
public.  The  thea- 
tres likewise  thrive 
best  on  Sunday, 
but  the  drama  in 
APLAZA-  Porto  Rico  is  in  a 

condition  that  needs  decided  improvement. 
The  only  bull-fight  which  I  personally 
witnessed  took  place  in  a  natural  amphi- 
theatre of  great  scenic  beauty,  near  the 
romantic  town  of  Aguadilla.  The  arena 
was  defined  by  stone  walls  about  five  feet 


LIFE  IN   PORTO   RICO.  23 

in  height,  and  the  adjacent  hillsides  were 
utilized  in  seating  the  thousand  spectators. 
There  were  but  few  women  present,  and 
these  were  of  the  lowest  class. 

When  the  bull  was  led  forth,  he  proved 
to  be  a  very  sorry-looking  animal,  and 
disdainfully  refused  to  be  worried  into 
anything  resembling  irritation,  although 
prodded  with  lances  and  peppered  with 
darts  for  almost  an  hour.  At  last,  in 
response  to  repeated  calls  from  the  on- 
lookers, the  band  played  a  heraldic  flourish 
and  the  matador  strode  majestically  into 
the  arena.  At  sight  of  this  gentleman  and 
his  glittering  sword,  the  bull  uttered  what 
sounded  like  a  groan  of  disgust  and  lay 
down  in  despair. 

Apparently  nothing  could  induce  him  to 
get  up  again,  and  so,  finally,  the  master  of 
ceremonies  announced  that  the  slaughter 
would  be  postponed,  as  the  intended  victim 
was  too  inconsiderate  for  proper  sport. 
The  gazing  crowd  seemed  to  take  this 


24 


LIFE   IN    PORTO    RICO. 


ending  in  good  part,  and  slowly  dispersed, 
chatting  and  laughing  in  excellent  humor. 
From  a  business  point  of  view,  Porto 
Rico  presents  a  puzzling  aspect.  The 
island  is  wonderfully  fertile  in  some  re- 
spects, yielding  coffee,  sugar,  tobacco, 
vanilla,  cacao  and  fruits  in  vast  abundance ; 

but  wheat  seems 
to  have  a  very 
serious  time  of 
it  in  growing,  so 
that  flour  has  to 
be  imported  at 
a  discouraging 
expense.  No 
one  has  yet  succeeded  in  raising  nutri- 
tious hay  or  other  fodder  fit  for  cattle ;  with 
the  result  that  cream  is  an  unknown  luxury, 
milk  is  thin  and  blue,  and  butter  comes 
only  in  cans  from  over  the  sea. 

All  the  more  important  local  products 
find  a  ready  sale,  when  once  they  have 
reached  the  market ;  but  transportation, 


TRANSPORTATION    IN   THE   INTERIOR. 


LIFE  IN   PORTO  RICO.  25 

especially  in  the  interior,  is  uncertain  and 
slow,  while  labor,  although  amazingly 
cheap,  is  unstable,  refractory  and  for  the 
most  part  dishonest. 

Each  of  the  large  cities  maintains  a 
gorgeously  uniformed  fire  department,  but 
the  apparatus  in  actual  use  is  of  the  most 
feeble  and  antiquated  description.  One 
night  in  Mayaguez,  toward  the  end  of 
November,  I  was  awakened  by  the  ringing 
of  bells  and  yelling  of  people  in  the  street. 

Suspecting  a  fire,  I  hurriedly  dressed 
myself  and  went  out-of-doors,  when  I  saw 
at  a  glance  that  a  large  building  near  the 
water-front  was  a  mass  of  flames.  Upon 
reaching  the  scene  of  conflagration,  I  found 
the  hand-engines  in  full  operation,  under 
the  excited  manipulation  of  twoscore  gold- 
laced  firemen,  while  an  immense  concourse 
of  townspeople  stood  near  by,  their  eyes 
sparkling  with  enjoyment. 

As  the  burning  structure  stubbornly  dis- 
regarded the  tiny  streams  of  water  thrown 


26 


LIFE   IN   PORTO   RICO. 


upon  it,  the  efforts  of  the  firemen  grew  less 
and  less  active,  until  at  last  they  ceased 
altogether.  Then,  probably  to  recom- 
pense the  assembled  taxpayers  for  their 
broken  rest,  the  fire-brigade  fell  into  line 
and  went  through 
a  lively  and  well- 
executed  series  of  cal- 
isthenics, after  which 
they  marched  to  their 
quarters,  headed  by 
the  local  band,  and 
loudly  cheered  from 
every  side. 

The  young  girl  of 
the  upper  classes, 
with  her  flashing  eyes 
and  flower  -  decked 
hair,  is  a  captivating  creature.  Although 
her  conversation  is  seldom  brilliant,  she 
can  portray  whole  paragraphs  of  meaning 
in  a  single  movement  of  her  dainty  fan. 
She  is  graceful,  tender  and  merry,  and 


CAPTIVATING. 


LIFE   IN   PORTO   RICO.  27 

nearly  always  becomes  a  devoted  wife 
before  she  is  twenty.  Her  brother  is 
usually  good-looking,  neatly  dressed,  indo- 
lent and  haughty,  with  a  great  fondness 
for  fencing,  ice-cream  and  horses,  and  a 
knightly  regard  for  all  womenfolk. 

The  costume  of  both  sexes  is  but  little 
different  from  the  dress  worn  in  summer  in 
the  United  States,  with  the  exception  that 
the  women  seldom  wear  any  head-covering, 
even  in  the  cooler  part  of  the  year. 
Among  the  poorer  people,  especially  the 
blacks,  one  finds,  of  course,  a  noticeable 
simplicity  of  attire,  the  fat  little  children 
tumbling  about  in  the  dust  wholly  unclad 
until  they  are  about  ten  years  old,  while 
their  fathers  and  mothers  are  each  content 
with  but  two  garments,  generally  of  white 
cotton. 

While  in  Mayaguez,  it  was  my  good 
fortune  to  be  quartered  for  several  weeks 
in  the  clean  and  comfortable  Hotel  Paris. 
Among  my  fellow-boarders  were  several 


28  LIFE  IN  PORTO  RICO. 

Spanish  gentlemen,  some  of  them  being 
officers  on  parole,  and  the  rest  clerks  or 
merchants. 

Although  they  knew  that  I  could  con- 
verse with  them  in  Spanish,  as  I  was  at  that 
time  an  interpreter  at  brigade  headquar- 
ters, these  men  insisted  upon  speaking 
nothing  but  English  to  me  as  we  sat  in  the 
broad  veranda  after  supper ;  and  this  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  they  were  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  meaning,  even  in  transla- 
tion, of  the  phrases  they  uttered. 

For  instance,  little  Senor  Ocasio  would 
say,  with  a  portentous  frown,  "My  boy, 
you  are  a  lobster,"  and  gravely  await  my 
reply ;  or  fat  Senor  Correa  would  sputter, 
"  I  deedn't  do  a  ting  to  'im  my  coal  black 
lady  get  out  of  here  hot  stuff! "  and  beam 
upon  me  for  approval. 

I  could  hardly  refrain  from  emphatic 
disapproval.  It  made  no  difference  that  I 
explained,  again  and  again,  the  lack  of 
sense  in  these  remarks ;  they  had  heard 


LIFE   IN   PORTO   RICO. 


29 


the  Americanos  say  the  words,  and  the 
words  were  English ;  therefore  if  they 
remembered  the  words  correctly,  they 
were  learning  to  speak  the  language. 

Perhaps  the  worst  offender  of  all  was  a 
certain  Estevan  Castro,  who  knew  but  one 
phrase  in  our  tongue  and  always  greeted 

me  with  it,  no 
matter  where  we 
might  meet,  often 
to  my  extreme 
embarrassment. 
"Hold,  sefior!" 
he  would  shout. 
"You  are  one 
great  big  liar !  "  Many  times  did  I  remon- 
strate with  him  and  point  out  his  uninten- 
tional insult ;  he  was  grieved  and  penitent 
and  offered  me  ten  thousand  pardons,  only 
to  repeat  his  performance  at  the  next 
opportunity. 

The  greater  part  of  my  stay  in  Porto 
Rico  was  during  the  rainy  season,  and  at 


GATEWAY,   SAN  JUAN. 


30  LIFE   IN   PORTO   RICO. 

first  I  expected  to  see  nothing  better  for 
weather  than  a  constant  downpour;  but  I 
was  pleasantly  surprised.  Sometimes,  it  is 
true,  rain  would  fall  in  torrents  for  two  or 
three  days  in  succession,  perhaps  accom- 
panied by  blinding  flashes  of  lightning  and 
deafening  thunder. 

Usually  we  were  let  off  with  a  single 
daily  shower  of  not  more  than  an  hour's 
duration.  I  have  since  been  told,  however, 
that  if  I  had  been  stationed  on  the  northern 
coast  instead  of  the  western,  I  should  have 
learned  in  good  earnest  why  the  summer 
season  is  called  rainy. 

Yellow  fever,  despite  a  general  belief 
to  the  contrary,  is  by  no  means  a  common 
disease  in  this  island.  Indeed,  some  local- 
ities, like  Mayaguez  and  Aguadilla,  have 
not  known  a  solitary  case  of  the  dreaded 
plague  for  many  years.  The  chief  excep- 
tion to  this  happy  immunity  is  the  capital, 
San  Juan. 

Among    the    insects    of    the    island    a 


LIFE   IN   PORTO   RICO.  31 

literally  prominent  place  is  taken  by  the 
cockroaches,  for  the  entire  island  swarms 
with  them.  They  grow  to  an  almost  in- 
credible size,  and  crawl  about  your  room 
and  over  your  person,  without  regard  for 
nerves  or  shudders. 

As  an  offset  to  this  pest,  however,  it 
may  be  said  that  there  are  practically  no 
snakes,  centipedes  or  tarantulas  in  any 
part  of  Porto  Rico,  which  is  more  than 
one  would  ordinarily  expect  in  a  tropical 
country,  and  the  cockroaches  do  not  bite. 

Whatever  its  faults  may  be,  Porto  Rico 
is  a  garden-spot  that  sends  one  away 
bearing  a  cluster  of  fragrant  memories. 
The  perfect  sky,  the  fresh  greenness  of  the 
landscape,  the  long,  narrow  streets,  the 
huge  yellow  churches,  the  fountains, 
flowers  and  murmuring  guitars — somehow 
these  things  fasten  themselves  about  one's 
heart-strings  and  refuse  to  be  forgotten. 

KARL  STEPHEN  HERRMANN. 


Progress. 


With  a  sword  in  one  hand  and  the  heal- 
ing arts  of  civilization  in  the  other,  the 
United  States  moved  upon  the  islands  of 
the  sea.  The  American  Tract  Society  has 
more  than  four  hundred  publications  in  the 
Spanish  language,  and  is  trying  to  put  two 
of  them,  a  primer  and  a  New  Testament, 
into  the  hands  of  every  Porto  Rican  family. 

The  progress  of  Porto  Rico  in  American 
ideas  is  encouraging.  The  inhabitants 
seem  to  welcome  and  appreciate  all  meas- 
ures designed  to  further  their  social  and 
civic  well-being.  It  is  almost  pathetically 
suggestive  that  a  people  so  long  under  the 
domination  of  Spanish  law,  in  whose 
methods  of  jurisprudence  habeas  corpus 
had  no  place,  and  of  whose  gracious  mean- 
ing they  were  ignorant,  should  request  its 
application  throughout  the  island. 

Much  to  their  rejoicing,  the  system  of 


PROGRESS. 


33 


direct  taxation  is  abolished.  Under 
Spanish  rule,  its  workings  were  bitterly 
oppressive,  and  the  visit  of  the  tax-collector 


FIRST  AMERICAN  SCHOOL   IN   PORTO   RICO. 

was  the  prelude  of  cruelty  and  despoilment. 
Beginning  with  July  i,  1899,  free  public 
schools  on  the  American  plan  were 


34  PROGRESS. 

established  in  Porto  Rico.  The  system  was 
devised  by  Gen.  John  B.  Eaton,  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  to  give  instruction  to 
all  persons  between  the  ages  of  six  and 
eighteen  for  nine  months  in  each  year,  and 
to  support  the  school  by  public  taxation. 

General  Eaton  adopted  a  happy  plan  for 
a  kind  of  educational  exchange.  Vessels 
on  government  business  ply  back  and  forth 
between  Porto  Rico  and  the  United  States 
during  the  summer.  Free  transportation 
was  offered  to  public  school  teachers  in 
Porto  Rico  who  desired  to  come  to  the 
United  States  in  order  to  learn  the  English 
language,  and  to  become  acquainted  with 
American  customs  and  institutions.  This 
also  gave  an  opportunity  for  Americans  to 
form  classes  for  the  study  of  Spanish. 

In  the  autumn  of  1899,  for  the  first  time 
in  her  annals,  Porto  Rico  enjoyed  the 
excitement  of  a  municipal  election,  and 
experienced  the  unwonted  legal  procedure 
of  a  trial  by  jury.  Eleven  natives,  with  one 


PROGRESS.  35 

Yankee  to  act  as  foreman,  composed  the 
jury,  and  the  result  of  their  deliberations  is 
said  to  have  been  eminently  satisfactory  to 
every  one  except  the  culprit. 

The  election,  although  promising  as  a 
first  attempt,  was  marked  by  innocent  but 
somewhat  embarrassing  innovations.  The 
supervisors  became  hungry  at  noontime, 
and  adjourned  for  dinner,  taking  the  ballot- 
boxes  with  them.  This  rendered  the  ap- 
pointing of  another  election  necessary  to 
forestall  possible  complaints  of  illegality. 
These  and  other  encouraging  facts  show 
that  American  ideas  and  methods  are 
making  headway  in  Porto  Rico. 

A  great  step  was  taken  toward  the 
union  of  Porto  Ricans  and  Americans  in 
heart  and  intellect  when  postage  between 
them  was  reduced  to  the  domestic  rates  of 
the  United  States.  American  publications 
began  at  once  to  flow  into  Porto  Rico,  and 
correspondence  multiplied. 

Another  important  element  of  union  is 


36  PROGRESS. 

the  gradual  substitution  of  United  States 
money  for  Spanish  silver. 

Porto  Rico  is  the  first  of  the  new  posses- 
sions of  the  United  States  to  receive  a 
definite  civil  government.  The  act  of 
Congress  went  into  effect  on  May  i ,  1 900. 

The  form  of  government  resembles  that 
of  territories  of  the  United  States,  but 
differs  from  it  in  important  particulars. 
The  governor  and  an  executive  council  are 
appointed  by  the  President;  a  legislative 
assembly  is  partly  elected  by  the  people. 
The  island  will  be  represented  at  Washing- 
ton by  a  resident  commissioner. 

The  law  contains  a  suggestion  of  a  future 
enlargement  of  these  privileges  through 
the  agency  of  a  special  commission  which 
is  to  compile  and  revise  the  laws  of  the 
island,  and  report  -within  one  year  such 
legislation  as  may  be  necessary  to  make  a 
simple,  harmonious  and  economical  gov- 
ernment. 

The  chief  interest  in  Congress  did  not 


PROGRESS. 


37 


centre  in  the  provisions  for  civil  govern- 
ment, but  in  the  tariff  features  of  the  act. 
It  was  argued  that  the  island  belongs  to 
the  United  States,  but  is  not  a  part  of  it; 


THE  GOVERNOR'S  HOUSE,  SAN  JUAN. 


that  Congress  is  therefore  free  to  provide 
such  a  system  as  it  pleases,  and  that  a 
tariff  is  necessary  to  provide  for  the  ex- 
penses of  the  Porto  Rican  government. 

The  act  imposes  upon  Porto  Rican 
imports  from  the  United  States,  and  upon 
United  States  imports  from  Porto  Rico, 


38  PROGRESS. 

fifteen  one-hundredths  of  the  duties  im- 
posed on  similar  goods  under  the  Dingley 
law,  which  would  be,  on  the  average,  about 
seven  per  cent,  of  their  value.  But  more 
than  half  of  what  Porto  Rico  imports,  in- 
cluding flour,  pork,  agricultural  implements 
and  other  things  most  needed,  is  in  the 
free  list. 

All  the  duties  collected  on  Porto  Rican 
trade,  whether  in  the  United  States  or  in 
the  island,  are  to  go  to  the  island  treasury. 
Moreover,  the  tariff  is  to  last  but  two  years 
at  the  longest,  and  may  be  terminated 
sooner,  if  the  Porto  Rican  legislative 
assembly  so  votes. 

The  first  Governor  of  Porto  Rico,  under 
the  new  law  establishing  a  civil  government 
in  the  island,  is  Charles  H.  Allen,  of 
Massachusetts,  who  held  for  two  years  the 
office  of  assistant  secretary  of  the  navy. 

The  reception  of  Governor  Allen  by  the 
people  of  Porto  Rico  was  encouraging  in 
the  extreme.  Inauguration  day  was  a 


PROGRESS.  39 

public  holiday,  and  the  streets  of  San  Juan 
were  thronged  with  enthusiastic  citizens 
decorated  with  miniature  American  flags. 

Private  houses  as  well  as  public  buildings 
were  profusely  adorned  with  the  Red,  White 
and  Blue,  and  everybody 
seemed  desirous  to  contrib- 
ute to  the  success  of  the 
new  government. 

Governor  Allen  in  his  in- 
augural address  impressed 
his  hearers  with  confidence 
in  his  purpose  to  secure  the 
best  welfare  of  the  island. 
He  won  their  hearts  by  saying,  "I  am  now 
a  citizen  of  Porto  Rico."  He  spoke  most 
eloquently  of  their  grand  opportunities,  and 
predicted  a  future  when  every  resident 
would  be  proud  to  declare,  "I  am  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States." 

At  these  words  those  of  his  hearers  who 
understood  English  burst  into  a  storm 
of  applause,  and  when  the  words  were 


GOVERNOR   ALLEN. 


40  PROGRESS. 

repeated  in  Spanish  the  cheers  were  re- 
doubled. That  this  popular  enthusiasm  was 
not  merely  superficial  is  evident  by  the 
graceful  and  dignified  address  of  welcome 
to  the  new  Governor  by  the  Chief  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Porto  Rico. 

With  true  statesmen  guiding  public 
affairs,  with  loyal  citizens  throughout  the 
island,  and  universal  education  in  the 
rapidly  increasing  public  schools,  Porto 
Rico  may  confidently  expect  a  new  epoch 
of  self -development  along  the  highest 
lines  of  industry  and  character. 


A  Fourth  of  July. 

The  American  newspaper  at  San  Juan, 
the  News,  had  announced  that  the  capital 
of  the  island  would  celebrate  the  Fourth  of 
July,  and  do  it  on  no  small  scale.  This  led 
us  to  wonder  if  we  could  not  organize  a 
celebration  at  Fajardo. 

At  San  Juan  there  are  many  Americans, 
and  therefore  it  would  be  easy  to  organize 
a  celebration.  At  Fajardo,  which  is  a  com- 
paratively small  place  at  the  eastern  end  of 
the  island,  we  had  less  than  a  dozen  Amer- 
icans, all  told.  If  we  were  to  celebrate,  it 
was  plain  that  we  must  interest  the  Porto 
Ricans. 

One  of  them,  a  prominent  citizen  and 
the  former  American  consul,  had  been 
educated  in  the  United  States.  He  re- 
sponded with  enthusiasm  when  the  subject 
was  broached  to  him,  and  through  him  the 
whole  population  soon  took  it  up. 


42  A   FOURTH   OF  JULY. 

We  felt  that  we  had  to  begin  with  the 
small  boy.  We  had  misgivings,  for  the 
Porto  Rican  small  boy  is  very  tame, 
so  tame,  indeed,  that  we  doubted  if  he 
could  raise  an  old  -  fashioned  Fourth  of 
July  yell.  But  soon  our  doubts  were 
entirely  dispelled. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  the  word 
was  passed  around  that  one  of  the  Amer- 
icanos had  firecrackers  to  sell,  and  before 
long  he  had  sold  his  entire  stock.  The 
small  boy,  and  the  large  one,  too,  became 
very  much  in  evidence,  and  proved  that  he 
could  make  a  noise  as  well  as  his  brother 
in  the  States. 

The  Fourth,  according  to  the  program, 
was  to  open  with  a  salute  of  cannon- 
crackers  at  four  o'clock,  after  which  the 
band  was  to  parade  the  town,  playing 
American  airs.  However,  the  saluting 
committee  overslept,  and  the  band  paraded 
first.  This  awoke  the  saluters,  and  they 
promptly  attended  to  their  part  of  the  duty, 


A   FOURTH   OF  JULY. 


43 


somewhat  to  the  confusion  of  the  musicians, 
who  faithfully  performed  their  part. 

Next  came  the  singing  of  extempora- 
neous poems  by  their  authors,  with  guitar 
accompaniment.  All  the  Porto  Ricans  are 


THE    PARADE. 


poets,  and  all  the  participants  in  this  part 
of  the  program,  which  was  a  great  success, 
belonged  to  the  laboring  class.  Their 
theme  in  every  case  was  the  Fourth  of 
July  and  the  event  it  commemorated. 

One  of  the  poems,  taken  down  during 
its  recitation  maybe  translated:  "Monroe 
said,  'America  for  the  Americans;'  and 


44  A  FOURTH   OF  JULY. 

this  is  to-day  affirmed  by  a  Porto  Rican. 
We  are  all  brothers,  let  us  live  prudently, 
and,  united  with  growing  faith  under  the 
federal  union,  let  us  learn  to  respect 
Independent  America!  " 

Some  of  these  efforts  called  out  pro- 
longed applause,  which  was  heartily  re- 
peated at  each  award  of  the  prizes  for 
these  compositions.  The  first  prize  was 
one  peso  (dollar)  and  a  flag,  the  second, 
half  a  peso  and  a  flag,  and  the  third  a  flag. 
The  prize  -  winners,  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  favored  the  audience  with  ad- 
dresses appropriate  to  the  occasion  and 
devoted  to  the  flag. 

At  one  o'clock  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  read  in  Spanish,  and  some 
short  addresses  followed.  Then  the  crowd 
adjourned  to  the  Plaza  to  see  the  races 
and  contests,  which  were  as  follows:  A 
sack  race,  a  three-legged  race,  an  obstacle 
race,  in  which  the  contestants  had  to 
crawl  through  two  barrels,  a  mango  race 


A   FOURTH   OF  JULY.  45 

(mangoes  in  place  of  potatoes) ,  and  ordi- 
nary running  races ;  greased  pig  catching, 
greased  pole  climbing,  and  a  contest  in 
snipping  with  scissors  for  the  girls. 

After  dark  came  the  fireworks.  They 
were  not  remarkable  for  quantity,  but  were 
good  in  quality.  They  were  followed  by 
a  play  at  the  theatre  presented  by  native 
talent.  Finally  the  festivities  wound  up 
with  a  ball,  or  rather  with  several  balls,  the 
largest  of  which  was  given  at  the  house  of 
the  American  family.  The  young  people 
literally  crowded  the  house. 

We  regarded  our  celebration  as  a  bril- 
liant success,  especially  in  view  of  its 
experimental  character  and  the  limited 
means  at  our  command.  The  first  Fourth 
of  July  in  Porto  Rico  will  bear  a  shining 
mark  in  the  annals  of  the  island. 

JENNIE  D.  HILL. 


Two  Boys  in  Morro  Castle. 

It  was  a  great  and  glorious  day  for  Mark 
and  Chester  Gray  when  their  mother 
received  word  that  they  were  all  to  join 
Major  Gray  in  San  Juan,  where,  after  the 
evacuation  of  the  Spanish  troops,  he  had 
been  stationed  in  command  of  Morro 
Castle,  the  grand  old  fortress  which  guards 
the  harbor  entrance. 

Mark  was  fourteen  and  Chester  twelve, 
and  they  possessed  all  the  enthusiasm  of 
their  years  for  military  matters,  although 
they  really  knew  very  little  about  them,  as 
they  had  spent  most  of  their  lives  in  New 
York,  while  their  father  had  been  stationed 
in  the  far  West  and  Southwest. 

They  had  been  living  on  the  promise 
that  some  day  they  should  visit  him  and 
see  all  they  wanted  of  Indians  and  cow- 
boys, but  the  blowing  up  of  the  Maine 


TWO  BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE.  47 

upset  their  family  plans,  as  it  did  the  plans 
of  a  great  many  other  people. 

The  boys  will  never  forget  the  weeks  of 
suspense  that  followed.  But  the  war  was 
over,  the  major  had  escaped  its  dangers, 
and  the  boys,  with  their  mother,  were  to 
join  him  where  they  would  meet  with 
adventures  far  more  fascinating  than 
cowboys  and  Indians. 

One  of  the  first  things  the  boys  did  at 
San  Juan  was  to  gain  their  father's  permis- 
sion to  explore  the  old  castle.  Then, 
under  the  guidance  of  an  artilleryman,  they 
examined  every  part  of  the  old  fortress 
known  to  the  Americans. 

They  saw  the  Spanish  gun  which  had 
been  dismounted  by  a  shot  from  the  Har- 
vard and  another  which  had  killed  two  men 
on  the  New  York;  the  watch-tower  through 
which  a  shell  had  passed,  killing  the 
Spanish  sentry  inside,  and  the  great  scar 
in  the  wall  behind,  where  it  had  burst. 
They  climbed  up  into  the  lighthouse  which 


48  TWO  BOYS  IN  MORRO  CASTLE. 

the  American  government  had  built  after 
the  old  one  had  been  destroyed  in  the 
bombardment. 

They  followed  their  guide  into  the  men's 
quarters:  cool,  cavelike  rooms  in  the  walls, 


MORRO  FROM  HARBOR  ENTRANCE. 


looking  out  over  the  rocks  and  breakers 
far  down  below.  They  went  down  a  flight 
of  broad,  low  stone  steps  into  the  great 
courtyard  which  now  served  as  the  kitchen, 
fitted  with  the  best  of  modern  cooking- 
stoves  set  in  convenient  archways,  with  a 
dozen  soldier-cooks  at  work. 


TWO  BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE.  49 

As  they  mounted  the  steps  again,  they 
met  a  little  white  dog  trotting  leisurely 
down;  a  very  white  dog  indeed,  with  a 
pointed  black  nose,  who  stopped  and 
cocked  an  inquiring  ear  at  them. 

"  Hullo,  Spigotty ! "  said  the  soldier.  "  I 
haven't  seen  you  for  a  week." 

"  What  a  name ! "  said  Mark,  as  the  little 
dog  jumped  up  against  the  soldier's  legs, 
with  much  wagging  of  a  curly  tail.  "  What 
do  you  call  him  that  for?" 

"  Because  he's  a  Spigotty  pup,"  replied 
the  soldier,  logically.  "You  see,"  he  went 
on  in  an  explanatory  vein,  "we  fellows  call 
everything  down  here  'Spigotty,'  and  we 
found  this  little  chap  in  the  fort  when  we 
came.  We  tried  a  lot  of  American  dog 
names  on  him,  and  all  the  Spanish  ones  we 
knew,  but  he  wouldn't  answer  to  any  of 
them,  so  we  just  concluded  to  call  him 
what  he  was. 

"The  Spaniards  left  here  in  a  hurry," 
continued  the  artilleryman,  "and  I  guess 


50  TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO  CASTLE. 

they  forgot  to  take  him  along,  but  they 
must  have  thought  a  lot  of  him.  When 
we  tried  to  teach  him  tricks,  we  found  that 
he  could  drill  as  well  as  we  could,  with  a 
stick,  and  there  isn't  a  sentry  he  doesn't 
visit  every  night." 

Spigotty,  having  duly  sniffed  at  the  new- 
comers' golf  stockings,  and  having  been 
patted  and  tumbled  over  on  his  back,  con- 
cluded to  approve  of  the  situation,  and 
followed  them  as  they  continued  their 
explorations.  Both  boys- were  true  lovers 
of  dogs,  and  the  halo  of  mystery  surround- 
ing this  little  furry  waif  added  strongly  to 
his  attractions.  They  determined  to  culti- 
vate him. 

At  last  the  soldier  led  them  into  a  dark, 
grim  -  looking  passageway,  in  which  he 
could  just  stand  upright,  and  which  led  up 
and  down,  right  and  left,  till  the  boys  were 
thoroughly  bewildered.  He  finally  brought 
them  out  most  unexpectedly  in  front  of 
their  own  quarters,  with  Spigotty,  who  had 


TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE.  51 

scurried  ahead,  waiting  to  receive  them. 
The  soldier  laughed  at  their  surprise  as 
they  stood  blinking  in  the  glaring  sunlight. 

4 'There  are  lots  of  those  old  secret  pas- 
sages in  the  fort,"  he  said.  "There's  said  to 
be  one  leading  all  the  way  to  San  Cristobal 
fortress  at  the  other  end  of  the  town,  but 
the  Spaniards  covered  up  the  entrance 
when  they  left,  and  nobody  has  been  able 
to  find  it." 

And  then  his  heels  came  together  with 
a  thump  and  his  hand  went  up  to  his 
helmet,  as  Major  Gray  appeared  and  sum- 
moned the  boys  to  luncheon.  They  waited 
long  enough  to  thank  their  good-natured 
guide  and  to  try  to  induce  Spigotty  to  go 
with  them,  but  he  brusquely  started  off  in 
a  direction  of  his  own. 

"Dinner's  getting  ready  in  the  men's 
kitchen,  you  see,"  explained  the  soldier, 
still  stiff-backed  and  at  attention  in  the 
light  of  the  major's  receding  figure,  "and 
he  knows  the  time  of  day  as  well  as  we  do." 


52 


TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO  CASTLE. 


The  chief  result  of  this  initiatory  trip  was 
a  fixed  determination  on  the  part  of  both 
boys  to  find  the  secret  passage  to  San 
Cristobal.  Having  come  to  an  under- 
standing with  their  father  as  to  where  they 


SAN   CRISTOBAL. 


what    they 
systematic 


could  and  couldn't  go,  and 
couldn't  do,  they  began  a 
exploration. 

They  continued  it  day  after  day,  discov- 
ering over  and  over  again  several  queer 
passages,  which  always  brought  them  out 
at  a  different  part  of  the  Morro  from  where 


TWO  BOYS  IN  MORRO  CASTLE.  53 

they  thought  they  were.  But  the  rumored 
passage  leading  to  San  Cristobal  they  still 
had  failed  to  find.  Their  father  was  not 
surprised  at  this,  for  he  scarcely  believed 
that  such  a  passage  existed. 

But  the  boys,  scorning  all  discourage- 
ment, persisted  in  the  search,  usually 
accompanied  by  Spigotty,  who  had  always 
looked  wise  and  said  nothing,  even  when 
at  last  they  did  make  a  discovery,  or 
thought  they  did. 

On  this  occasion  they  had  brought  their 
bicycle  lamps  for  the  first  time,  and  in  one 
of  the  old  passages  they  found  a  spot  where 
it  branched  to  the  right.  The  branching 
had  been  concealed  by  a  big  heap  of  earth, 
bricks  and  general  rubbish  piled  up  as  high 
as  the  roof.  On  previous  occasions  the 
boys  had  passed  this  rubbish  heap  without 
investigation,  but  now  they  proceeded  to 
dig  into  it,  to  the  detriment  of  clean  hands 
and  white  duck  suits. 

Spigotty,   probably   supposing   that    his 


54  TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO  CASTLE. 

friends  were  seeking  rats,  assisted  them 
ferociously,  burrowing  at  the  foot  of  the 
heap  with  such  vigor  that  the  whole  mass 
soon  came  down  like  an  avalanche,  bury- 
ing the  boys  to  their  knees  and  Spigotty 
entirely.  They  pulled  him  out  by  his  hind 
legs  and  left  him  to  shake  himself,  while 
they  inspected  what  the  rubbish  heap  had 
hidden. 

"It's  a  wooden  door,"  said  Chester. 

"And  very  rotten,"  said  Mark.  "Let's 
smash  it." 

So  they  pulled  and  tore  at  the  decayed 
boards  until  the  ancient,  rust-eaten  hinges 
gave  way  all  at  once,  and  two  boys  and  a 
big  door  fell  in  a  heap,  while  a  small  dog 
fled  as  if  for  his  life. 

The  boys  picked  themselves  up  and  saw 
an  archway,  about  eight  feet  high  and 
wide  enough  for  two  men  to  walk  in 
abreast.  It  opened  a  passage  whose  floor 
and  walls  were  composed  of  the  most 
primitive  rough  bricks,  so  far  as  they  could 


TWO  BOYS   IN   MORRO  CASTLE.  55 

see,  which  wasn't  very  far,  even  with  the 
bicycle  lamps.  From  the  dense  blackness 
beyond  vision  came  flowing  chilly  air  which 
encompassed  them  in  an  invisible  and 
discouraging  cloud. 

The  boys  stared  at  the  archway  and  at 
each  other.  Finally  Mark  spoke  up  reso- 
lutely. "  You  wait  here  a  second.  I'll  go 
in  and  see  what  it's  like."  Holding  his 
lamp  up,  he  stepped  gingerly  within  the 
archway. 

But  Chester  would  not  wait.  He  was 
promptly  followed  by  Spigotty,  who  now 
squirmed  between  the  boys'  legs,  and 
trotted  confidently  forward  into  the  dark- 
ness. The  boys  proceeded  cautiously, 
using  the  lamps  to  inspect  the  floor  before 
them.  Soon  they  came  to  a  downward 
flight  of  steps,  broad  and  shallow,  and 
greatly  worn. 

As  the  boys  were  descending  very  care- 
fully, Spigotty  came  up  out  of  the  dark- 
ness below  as  if  to  see  why  they  didn't 


56  TWO  BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE. 

hurry,  for  he  immediately  turned  about  and 
vanished  again. 

At  the  foot  of  the  steps  the  passage 
curved  to  the  left  and  then  led  them  to 
another  door,  a  massive  one  covered  with 
strange,  rusty  bolts  and  bands  of  iron 
curiously  wrought.  It  was  slightly  ajar, 
and  in  the  opening  lay  an  old-fashioned 
mortar-shell. 

Mark  poked  his  lantern  around  the  edge 
of  the  door  and  peered  in. 

"It  seems  to  be  a  big  room,"  he  said, 
"  and  I  can  hear  Spigotty  sniffing  round. 
I  guess  it's  all  right;  let's  go  in." 

He  stepped  over  the  shell  and  squeezed 
himself  through  the  opening.  In  a 
moment  he  called,  "  It's  nothing  but  a 
room !  Come  ahead  in ! "  Chester,  edging 
himself  in,  stepped  upon  the  shell,  which 
must  have  been  very  lightly  balanced,  for 
his  weight  suddenly  set  it  rolling,  and  off 
he  slid  into  the  room.  The  uneven  floor, 
sunken  a  little  in  the  middle,  was  of  broad 


TWO  BOYS   IN   MORRO  CASTLE.  57 

tiles  cracked  and  broken,  over  which  the 
shell  rolled  to  the  centre,  with  hollow, 
reverberating  bumps. 

As  the  boys  watched  it  with  some  alarm, 
a  most  unexpected  thing  happened.  With 
a  quick  creaking  of  rusty  hinges  and  a  final 
grinding,  noisy  click  of  locks,  the  massive 
door  closed.  Evidently  the  bombshell 
was  all  that  held  it  open.  Now  the  great 
old  steel  springs,  aided  perhaps  by  the 
draft  that  freshly  traversed  the  long-closed 
passage,  had  pushed  the  door  shut. 

Neither  of  the  boys  could  see  how  pale 
the  other  was  as,  without  a  word,  they  put 
the  lamps  on  the  floor- and  pushed  at  the 
door  with  all  their  boyish  strength.  It 
seemed  as  immovable  as  the  very  walls  of 
the  fort,  and  soldier's  sons  though  they 
were,  the  boys  were  thoroughly  frightened. 
Well  they  might  be  !  They  were  prisoners 
in  one  of  the  deepest  dungeons  of  a  medi- 
aeval fortress,  built  with  the  ingenious 
secrecy  of  the  great  days  of  Spain. 


58  TWO   BOYS   IN  MORRO  CASTLE. 

"What  shall  we  do?"    asked  Chester. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Mark.  Then 
remembering  the  duties  of  an  elder 
brother,  he  braced  up.  "Oh,  we  are  all 
right,  Chester.  We'll  get  out  some  time, 
for  they'll  find  the  door  that  we  pulled 
down,  and  the  guard  knows  that  we 
haven't  left  the  fort."  But  he  knew  that 
the  broken-down  door  was  in  one  of  the 
least  frequented  parts  of  the  Morro. 

"  Let's  look  round,"  he  added.  "  Where's 
Spigotty?" 

They  whistled  and  called,  but  no 
Spigotty  responded.  The  only  sound 
they  could  hear  was  the  pounding  of  the 
surf  and  the  rushing  of  receding  waves. 

"  He  was  here  when  the  door  shut," 
said  Chester.  "  I  saw  him  getting  out  of 
the  way  of  that  cannon-ball.  If  he  can  get 
out  of  here,  perhaps  we  can." 

Searching  for  an  outlet,  they  found  they 
were  in  a  long  room  with  a  high,  arched 
roof.  A  row  of  plain  wooden  benches, 


TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO  CASTLE.  59 

each  about  two  feet  wide,  stood  on  stout 
legs  at  right  angles  to  the  wall,  with 
roughly  rounded  blocks  of  wood  nailed  at 
the  ends.  At  the  foot  of  each  bench,  fas- 
tened to  a  strong  ring  bolted  to  the  stone 
floor,  lay  a  rusty  chain  with  another  ring  at 
the  loose  end. 

"  It's  a  dungeon  where  they  used  to  put 
prisoners,"  said  Mark,  "and  those  benches 
are  beds.  Ugh !  what  an  awful  place  to 
sleep  in!" 

"We're  lucky  to  have  these  benches  if 
we've  got  to  sleep  here,"  replied  Chester. 
"  But  where  is  Spigotty?" 

"Why,  there's  a  window!"  exclaimed 
Mark,  who  had  begun  again  to  search  the 
room. 

What  he  had  discovered  was  a  square 
opening  in  the  wall,  about  two  feet  wide, 
with  strong,  upright  iron  bars  some  six 
inches  apart.  Outside  of  this  was  fas- 
tened a  plate  of  iron,  bolted  to  the  wall  and 
held  several  inches  away  from  the  window, 


60  TWO    BOYS   IN   MORRO  CASTLE. 

so  that  it  would  admit  air  to  the  prisoners 
and  at  the  same  time  give  them  no  glimpse 
of  the  outside  world. 

As  the  boys  were  examining  this  con- 
trivance, they  were  startled  by  a  sudden 
scratching  and  scrabbling  sound  outside, 


MORRO,    FROM   THE    CITY. 


and  who  should  appear  but  Spigotty!  He 
easily  squeezed  between  the  bars  and 
jumped  into  the  room,  apparently  thor- 
oughly at  home. 

"Well,  I  declare!"  cried  Mark.  Then 
he  gave  a  jump  of  joy.  "  Here,  I  know 
what!  Got  a  pencil?" 

"  Yes ! "  Chester  was  excitedly  fishing  in 
his  pockets. 


TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE.  61 

"Let's    have    it!       You     hold    on    to 
Spigotty!     Now  what  can  we  write  on?" 


Dinner  was  on  the  table  in  the  major's 
quarters,  and  they  were  just  beginning  to 
wonder  where  the  boys  were,  when  a  tall 
sergeant  loomed  up  in  the  doorway,  hold- 
ing Spigotty  in  his  arms. 

"  Well,  sergeant,  what  is  it?"  demanded 
the  astonished  major. 

"  He  came  popping  into  the  kitchen,  sir, 
from  out  of  a  hole  in  the  wall,"  the  ser- 
geant saluted  with  one  hand  and  held  the 
wriggling  Spigotty  with  the  other,  "and  he 
had  this  hitched  to  his  collar." 

He  handed  the  major  a  cuff  torn  from  a 
boy's  shirt  and  scribbled  all  over  in  pencil. 
The  major  put  on  his  glasses  to  read  the 
strange-looking  hieroglyphics,  and  then 
jumped  up. 

"Call  the  blacksmith  and  half  a  dozen 
men,  sergeant,"  he  ordered,  "with  lan- 
terns and  tools!  And  don't  let  that  dog 


62  TWO  BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE. 

get  away  from  you!"  Then,  with  a  few 
reassuring  words  to  his  wife,  he  hurried 
after  the  sergeant. 

Mark  had  described  on  his  cuff  their 
location  as  well  as  he  could,  but  the  first 
passage  was  in  a  very  old,  deserted  part 
of  the  fort,  and  it  was  not  until  Spigotty 
scrambled  out  of  the  sergeant's  arms  and 
went  trotting  in  that  the  major  felt  sure  it 
was  the  right  one.  The  dog  led  them  over 
the  heap  of  earth  and  the  broken  door, 
and  down  the  steps  to  the  great  iron- 
bound  door. 

A  shout  from  the  major  brought  from 
inside  a  faint  but  hilarious  reply  of  "That 
you,  papa?  We're  all  right!" 

But  it  was  long  before  the  two  powerful 
soldier-blacksmiths  could  break  through 
the  mighty  prison  door,  for  only  one  could 
work  at  a  time  in  the  narrow  passage. 

The  major  went  back  to  report  to  Mrs. 
Gray,  and  returned  in  time  to  assist  in 
hauling  the  boys,  in  a  state  of  grime  beyond 


TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE.  63 

description,  through  a  great  hole  in  the 
mass  of  twisted  iron  and  splintered  wood. 

"The  second  candle  has  just  gone  out, 
papa,"  burst  out  Chester,  blinking  in  the 
glare  of  the  lanterns,  "  and  we  were  saving 
the  grease  to  eat!  " 

"Well,  there's  something  better  than 
candle-grease  in  the  dining-room,"  said  the 
major,  quietly.  "  Come  up  and  get  a  bath 
and  some  dinner,  and  we'll  discuss  this 
performance  of  yours  afterward." 

"Dinner!"  exclaimed  Mark,  as  they 
walked  through  the  passages,  followed  by 
the  perspiring,  grinning  soldiers  and  the 
highly  self-conscious  Spigotty.  "Gracious, 
we  thought  it  was  breakfast-time!" 

And  after  all  they  had  not  found  the 
passage  to  Fort  San  Cristobal,  which 
remains  undiscovered. 

Some  time  after  their  adventure  the  boys 
were  told  by  a  Porto  Rican,  who  had  been 
employed  in  the  Morro  during  the  Spanish 
times,  and  who  had  heard  of  Spigotty' s 


64  TWO   BOYS   IN   MORRO   CASTLE. 

wonderful  rescuing  performances,  that  the 
dog  had  been  the  special  pet  of  a  Spanish 
soldier  who  was  always  getting  into  trouble. 
When  he  was  confined  in  that  dungeon,  he 
had  trained  his  faithful  little  friend  to  carry 
messages  in  and  out  of  the  window 
unknown  to  the  officers. 

"He  always  brought  these  messages  to 
the  cook,"  added  their  informer,  ''who  was 
this  bad  man's  dear  friend,  and  the  cook 
would  send  him  back  with  lettuce  and 
garlic  for  the  prisoner  to  eat  with  his 
bread,  but  nobody  knew  how  he  found  his 
way." 

4 'And  do  you  suppose  he  would  have 
brought  food  to  Americans?"  asked 
Chester,  anxiously. 

"Surely,  indeed,"  replied  the  dark- 
skinned  native.  "For  he,  like  all  good 
Porto  Ricans,  is  now  a  true  American, 

my  little  general!" 

CHARLES  B.  HOWARD. 


IN  THE  PHILIPPINES. 


7 Puerto  Pnncesa? 
'•••J  PAR.  AQUA      IS. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    ISLANDS. 


Battle  of  Manila  Bay. 

Our  navy  opened  the  war  with  Spain  by 
winning  a  brilliant  victory.  By  the  custom 
of  nations,  armed  vessels  of  countries  at 
war  are  not  allowed  to  remain  for  an  indef- 
inite time  in  a  friendly  port,  but  they  may 
of  course  invade  a  harbor  of  the  enemy 
if  they  are  able  to  overcome  its  defences  of 
mines,  forts  and  war-ships. 

Acting  on  this  principle  of  courtesy  to 
a  friendly  nation  and  a  desire  to  strike  a 
blow  at  the  enemy,  Commodore  Dewey 
sailed  with  his  squadron  from  Hongkong 
on  April  27,  1898.  Three  days  later, 
under  cover  of  the  night,  he  steamed 
boldly  into  Manila  Bay,  disregarding  the 
mines  and  torpedoes  guarding  the  entrance, 
and  at  daybreak  on  Sunday,  the  first  of 
May,  attacked  the  Spanish  ships,  which 
had  taken  refuge  under  the  guns  of  the 
forts  at  Cavite,  the  naval  station  of  Manila. 


68  BATTLE   OF   MANILA   BAY. 

He  was  obliged  to  expose  his  unarmored 
vessels  to  the  combined  fire  of  the  Spanish 
forts  and  fleet,  but  after  two  sharp  engage- 
ments the  two  largest  Spanish  cruisers 
were  burned,  the  smaller 
vessels  were  sunk  or  dis- 
abled, and  Cavite  sur- 
rendered, thus  leaving 
Manila  and  all  the  Philip- 
pines  practically  in  the 
power  of  the  Americans. 
COMMODORE  DEWEv.  The  world  joined  his 

own  countrymen  in  paying  tribute  to  Com- 
modore Dewey's  heroism.  It  was  not  that 
the  Spanish  fleet  was  formidable,  for  our 
own  ships  were  in  all  respects  superior; 
but  every  one  admires  the  cool  courage 
that  led  the  commander  of  our  forces  to 
brave  hidden  dangers  in  entering  the 
harbor  of  Manila,  and  getting  to  a  point 
where  he  could  attack  the  enemy ;  and  the 
tactical  skill  with  which  he  manoeuvred  so 
as  to  demolish  the  Spanish  fleet  without 


BATTLE  OF   MANILA   BAY. 


69 


serious  injury  to  one  of  his  own  vessels. 
Commodore  Dewey's  discretion  and  en- 
durance, his  wise  silence  and  keen  watch- 
fulness, were  tested  in  the  long  weeks  of 
holding  Cavite  and  blockading  Manila  till 
General  Merritt  arrived  with  supplies  and 
a  military  force  able  to  cope  with  all  the 
difficulties  that  might 
arise  at  the  surrender 
of  Manila. 

While     Commodore 
Dewey    was    receiving 
so  much  popular  praise 
throughout  the  United 
States,  the  President,  in 
recognition  of  his  ability  and  his  opportune 
deeds,    promoted    him    to     the    rank    of 
Admiral,  the  highest  grade  of  honor  in  the 
American  navy. 


The  Fall  of  Manila. 

On  August  7,  1898,  a  note  was  sent  to 
the  governor-general,  signed  by  Admiral 
Dewey  and  myself,  stating  that  the  city 
might  be  bombarded  at  any  time  after  forty- 
eight  hours,  or  sooner  if  the  firing  on  our 
trenches  by  the  Spanish  troops  was  con- 
tinued. This  note  was  effective,  for  not 
a  shot  was  fired  on  either  side  from  this 
time  until  the  final  assault  was  made. 

All  the  troops  were  in  readiness  early  on 
the  morning  of  the  i3th.  At  nine  o'clock 
the  fleet  left  its  anchorage  off  Cavite  and 
steamed  slowly  toward  Manila,  taking  up  a 
position  opposite  the  magazine  fort.  The 
Zafiro,  with  myself  and  staff  on  board, 
moved  up  with  the  fleet  as  far  as  Greene's 
camp,  about  a  mile  from  the  city  walls,  and 
steamed  as  near  shore  as  her  draft  would 
allow  her  to  go. 

The  foreign  war-ships  which  had  been 


THE   FALL  OF    MANILA.  71 

anchored  off  the  walled  city  steamed  out  of 
the  line  of  fire,  and  at  9.40  the  Olympia 
sent  two  challenge  shots  from  her  eight- 
inch  guns  in  the  direction  of  the  Malate 
fort,  quickly  followed  by 
a  six-inch  shell  from  the 
Petrel.  One  of  these 
shells  touched  the  water, 
rose,  and  exploded  at  the 
base  of  the  fort. 

There  was  no  reply 
from  the  enemy's  guns. 
The  white  flag,  which  we 
half  expected  would  be 
run  up,  did  not  appear.  Not  the  slightest 
notice  was  taken  of  us ;  we  had  invited 
them  either  to  fight  or  surrender.  Appar- 
ently they  were  going  to  do  neither.  After 
a  brief  pause  the  flag- ship,  with  the  Raleigh 
and  the  Petrel,  opened  a  hot  and  effective 
fire  against  the  sea  flank  of  the  Spanish 
intrenchments  and  the  magazine  fort. 

When    it    was    believed    that    Greene's 


GENERAL    MEKK1TT. 


72  THE   FALL  OF   MANILA. 

brigade  could  advance,  the  fleet  was  sig- 
nalled from  the  shore  to  cease  firing.  The 
battalion  on  the  beach  advanced  with  a 
rush,  under  cover  of  a  steady  fire  from  the 
other  column,  waded  the  creek  in  front  of 
the  fort,  swarmed  into  the  enclosure,  which 
was  found  deserted,  and  raised  the  Amer- 
ican flag.  The  second  and  third  battalions, 
which  had  advanced  between  the  Calle 
Real  and  the  beach,  passed  over  the  de- 
serted trenches,  and  joined  the  first  battal- 
ion beyond  on  the  Calle  Real.  The  First 
California  also  came  up,  and  the  movement 
into  Malate  was  begun. 

The  march  of  the  Colorado  and  Califor- 
nia troops  through  Malate  was  checked  by 
a  heavy  fire  from  a  second  line  of  defence 
along  the  road  from  Malate  to  Singalon. 

This  opposition  was  subdued  after  a 
short  engagement.  The  advance  then 
continued  toward  Manila,  the  California 
regiment  and  the  regulars  moving  along 
the  Calle  Real,  with  the  Colorado  troops 


THE   FALL  OF   MANILA.  73 

on  their  right  flank  and  the  Nebraska  men 
to  their  left  on  the  beach. 

The  brigade  proceeded  in  this  formation 
through  Malate  and  Ermita  in  the  face  of  a 
straggling  fire  from  the 
direction  of  Paco,  reach- 
ing the  Luneta  just 
south  of  the  walled  city 
about  one  o'clock.  A 
white  flag  was  flying  at  ^J 
the  southwest  corner  of 
the  city  wall,  and  the 
brigade  commander  was 
informed  that  negotia- 
tions for  surrender  were  in  progress. 

At  the  Paco  road  Greene's  troops  were 
met  by  a  body  of  nearly  one  thousand 
Spaniards,  who  surrendered  and  were  or- 
dered inside  the  city.  This  force  had 
probably  been  driven  in  by  the  insurgents 
from  Santa  Ana,  through  Paco,  and  it  was 
doubtless  the  same  detachment  which  had 
harried  our  troops  from  the  Singalon  woods 


GENERAL   GREKNE. 


74 


THE   FALL  OF  MANILA. 


in  their  march  through  Malate.  A  large 
number  of  insurgents  had  penetrated  to 
the  walls  of  the  city,  expecting  to  be  allowed 
to  enter  and  raise  their  flag,  and  quite  a 
show  of  force  was  necessary  in  order  to 
hold  them  in  check.  Although  our  troops 
had  ceased  firing  as  soon  as  the  white  flag 
was  observed,  the  Filipinos  continued  to 
use  their  arms  against  the  Spaniards  who 
lined  the  walls  of  the  town,  and  the  latter 
in  returning  their  fire 
killed  one  man  and 
wounded  two  others  in 
the  California  regiment. 
Meantime  General 
MacArthur's  troops  on 
the  right,  advancing 
along  the  Paco  road, 
had  done  some  sharp 
fighting. 

Leaving  a  battalion  of 
infantry  to  intercept  any  possible  advance  of 
the  insurgents,  the  brigade  moved  forward 


GENERAL   MACARTHUR. 


THE   FALL  OF  MANILA.  75 

along  the  Pasay  road  without  opposition,  to 
a  point  just  south  of  Singalon,  where  a 
scattering  fire  from  the  enemy  was  encoun- 
tered. The  intensity  of  this  fire  increased 
as  the  forward  movement  was  pressed, 
and  developed  into  strong  opposition  at  a 
blockhouse  in  the  village  mentioned,  which 
was  occupied  by  a  strong  detachment  of 
infantry. 

Here  the  American  skirmishers,  volun- 
teers from  the  Astor  Battery  and  the 
Thirteenth  Minnesota  Regiment,  were 
obliged  to  retire  after  they  had  pushed 
forward  to  within  eighty  yards  of  the 
blockhouse. 

A  rough  work  was  hastily  improvised, 
and  held  with  great  gallantry  by  a  firing- 
line  of  about  fifteen  men  until  the  main 
body  of  the  troops  came  up.  The  Ameri- 
cans took  refuge  behind  the  village  church, 
stone  walls,  and  anything  else  which  offered 
shelter,  and  poured  a  steady  fire  into  the 
blockhouse.  The  resistance  was  obstinate, 


76  THE   FALL  OF  MANILA. 

but  finally  succumbed  to  the  fire  of  the 
Americans,  and  the  advance  was  resumed 
toward  Malate.  The  engagement  lasted 
for  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  was  probably 
the  most  hotly  contested  action  of  the  day; 
buHt  was  the  last  stand  of  the  enemy,  and 
MacArthur's  troops  marched  through  the 
Paco  district,  and  entered  the  city  without 
further  opposition. 

After  the  surrender,  the  station  occupied 
by  the  first  brigade  covered  the  Ermita 
and  Malate  districts  to  the  south  of  the 
walled  city,  and  extended  around  it  as  far 
north  as  the  Pasig  River.  The  second 
brigade  occupied  the  section  north  of  the 
Pasig  River,  which  is  the  principal  business 
portion  of  the  city.  This  distribution  of 
the  American  troops  outside  the  city  walls 
was  necessary  for  the  protection  of  lives 
and  property  against  the  insurgents. 

Most  of  the  Spanish  residents  of  the 
suburbs  had  taken  refuge  within  the  walled 
city,  leaving  their  houses  vacant,  and  some 


CITY   WALL   BY   THE    PASIG. 


THE   FALL  OF   MANILA.  77 

of  them  were  looted,  in  spite  of  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  Americans. 

During    the   operations    on   shore,    the 
Zafiro  had  remained  on  a  line  with  the 
fleet,  and  be- 
tween   it    and 
the  shore. 

Owing  to  the 
distance  and 
to  the  heavy 
growth  of  bam- 
boo along  the  water's  edge,  beyond  which 
most  of  the  fighting  took  place,  we  were 
unable  to  observe  the  progress  of  the  attack. 

When  Greene's  men  left  their  trenches, 
the  column  which  advanced  by  the  beach 
could  be  plainly  seen.  Watching  from  the 
bridge  of  the  Zafiro,  we  saw  the  long 
brown  line  move  along  between  the 
jungle  and  the  surf.  When  it  reached  the 
creek  it  sank  out  of  sight  for  a  moment, 
as  the  men  swam  and  floundered  through; 
but  we  could  see  it  as  it  emerged  on  the 


78  THE   FALL  OF  MANILA. 

other  side,  went  up  the  incline  to  the  fort, 
and  disappeared  within  the  enclosure. 

Presently  the  red  and  yellow  flag  came 
fluttering  down  to  make  way  for  the  Stars 
and  Stripes,  which  was  quickly  floating  in 
its  place.  Then  we  heard  the  cheering, 
faintly  at  first,  then  louder  as  it  was 
caught  up  by  every  soldier  within  sight 
of  the  flag. 

The  first  intimation  we  had  of  the  sur- 
render was  the  appearance  of  a  small 
launch  heading  for  the  flag-ship,  flying  a 
flag  of  truce  at  the  bow  and  the  colors  of 
Belgium  at  the  stern.  She  had  on  board 
Monsieur  Andre,  the  Belgian  consul,  who 
bore  a  message  from  the  captain-general, 
stating  that  he  was  ready  to  receive 
representatives  of  the  army  and  the  navy 
to  arrange  for  turning  over  the  city. 

The  consul  tendered  the  services  of  his 
launch,  and  Lieutenant  -  Colonel  Whittier, 
of  my  staff,  and  Lieutenant  Brumby, 
Admiral  Dewey's  flag  lieutenant,  returned 


THE   FALL  OF   MANILA. 


79 


with  him  to  the  city.     Shortly  afterward  a 
white  flag  went  up  on  the  city  walls. 

When  the  two  officers  came  back,  the 
international  signal,  "The  enemy  has  sur- 
rendered," was  hoisted  at  the  masthead  of 
the  Olympia,  and  I  was  then  conveyed 
ashore  with  my  personal  staff.  We  en- 
tered the  city  by  way 
of  the  Pasig  River, 
which  was  so  filled 
with  sunken  hulks  as 
to  render  the  ingress 
very  tortuous  and 
difficult.  Our  little 
party  marched  quietly 
through  the  streets  to 
the  cathedral,  where 
the  terms  of  surrender 
which  had  been  agreed  upon  by  our  repre- 
sentatives were  presented  to  us  for  approval, 
Monsieur  Andre  acting  as  interpreter.  We 
then  proceeded  to  the  city  palace  of  the 
governor-general,  where  temporary  head- 


CAVITE    AND    MANILA. 


80  THE   FALL  OF   MANILA. 

quarters  were  established.  None  of  our 
troops  had  as  yet  entered  the  walled  city. 

The  Second  Oregon  Regiment  was  on  its 
way  from  Cavite  by  sea  to  act  as  a  provost 
guard,  and  the  troops  of  MacArthur  and 
Greene  were  stationed  throughout  the  city 
beyond  the  walls.  The  Spanish  forces,  how- 
ever, were  swarming  in  from  the  trenches, 
and  the  street  in  front  of  the  palace  was 
soon  literally  covered  with  great  heaps  of 
Mauser  and  Remington  rifles  and  many 
pieces  of  artillery. 

The  small  park  across  the  street,  was 
transformed  into  a  corral  for  the  horses. 
In  no  instance  was  there  the  slightest 
disorder  among  the  Spaniards.  As  each 
regiment  marched  into  the  city  it  came 
to  a  halt  in  front  of  the  palace,  where 
the  arms  were  deposited  and  the  men 
paroled.  They  found  quarters  in  the 
various  churches,  and  were  allowed  the 
freedom  of  the  city  inside  the  walls. 

The   courtesy   of   the   officers    and   the 


THE   FALL  OF   MANILA.  81 

civility  of  the  men  were  pleasantly  notice- 
able whenever  they  came  in  contact  with 
the  Americans.  They  seemed  glad  that 
the  affair  was  over,  and  the  following1  day 
business  was  in  a  great  measure  resumed 
throughout  the  city. 

The  city,  however,  was  practically 
starved  out.  Not  even  a  loaf  of  bread 
was  for  sale,  and  the  few  stores  whose 
stock  had  not  been  entirely  depleted  were 
closed  through  fear  that  the  insurgents 
might  force  an  entrance  to  the  city.  That 
night  we  suffered  from  the  effects  of  our 
own  work  in  keeping  supplies  out  of  the 
town. 

As  a  rule,  the  enlisted  men  fared  better 
than  the  officers,  for  they  were  provided 
with  rations.  A  party  of  officers,  including 
a  brigadier-general,  dined  at  the  Hotel 
Oriental,  their  bill  of  fare  consisting  of 
weak  pea  soup  and  sardines ;  and  there 
were  few,  if  any,  who  fared  more  sumptu- 
ously. This  state  of  affairs  continued  for 


82  THE   FALL  OF   MANILA. 

several  days,  until  the  transports  with  their 
supplies  could  be  brought  over  from  Cavite 
and  the  stores  moved  up  from  camp. 

Shortly  before  six  o'clock,  after  the  ar- 
rival of  the  Oregon  regiment,  the  Spanish 
colors  were  hauled  down  and  the  American 
flag  was  hoisted  on  the  walls  and  saluted 
by  the  guns  from  the  fleet,  while  the 
regimental  band  played  the  "Star-Spangled 
Banner,"  the  troops  shouting  themselves 
hoarse. 

The  insurgent  forces  were  gathered  out- 
side the  American  lines,  endeavoring  to 
gain  admission  to  the  town;  but  strong 
guards  were  posted,  and  General  Agui- 
naldo  was  given  to  understand  that  none 
of  his  men  would  be  allowed  to  enter  with 
arms. 

Prior  to  the  surrender  the  relations 
between  the  Americans  and  insurgents 
had  apparently  been  friendly  as  against 
the  Spaniards ;  but  afterward  the  Ameri- 
cans and  Spaniards  fraternized  against  the 


THE   FALL  OF   MANILA. 


83 


Filipinos,  who  were  greatly  disgruntled  at 
the  treatment  they  had  received.  They 
had  expected  that  the  city  would  be  turned 
over  to  them,  and  that  they 
would  be  permitted  to  loot  and 
burn  and  kill  with  a  free  hand. 
The  Spaniards  showed  consid- 
erable fear  that  a  general  mas- 
sacre would  be  attempted  by 
the  insurgents,  and  they  openly 
expressed  a  desire  to  unite  with 
the  Americans  against  them. 

Aguinaldo  refused  to  allow 
us  to  use  the  water- works,  which 
were  in  his  possession,  and  at 
one  time  it  looked  as  if  they  would  have  to 
be  taken  by  force.  After  repeated  prom- 
ises and  much  parleying,  the  insurgents 
yielded  to  a  show  of  force  and  the  water 
was  allowed  to  flow  into  the  city,  but  for 
over  a  week  we  were  obliged  to  depend 
entirely  upon  the  rains  for  water. 

Steps  were  at  once  taken  to  inaugurate 


FOR    PEACE. 


84  THE   FALL  OF  MANILA. 

a  government  of  military  occupancy.  The 
necessary  officers  were  appointed,  and  a 
proclamation  was  issued  to  the  people  of 
the  Philippines,  setting  forth  the  intention 
of  the  United  States  government  to  protect 
them.  Three  days  after  the  surrender  a 
cablegram  was  received,  announcing  that 
the  peace  protocol  had  been  signed,  and 
that  the  President  had  issued  a  proclama- 
tion directing  a  cessation  of  hostilities. 

We  pay  the  Manila  veterans  the  highest 
possible  tribute  of  appreciation  when  we 
measure  the  glory  of  their  victory  by  the 
extent  of  their  accomplishment  and  their 
discretion  and  valor,  their  courage  and 
magnanimity. 

MAJ.-GEN.  WESLEY  MERRITT. 


ACROSS  THE   PASIG. 


Life  in  Manila. 

The  three  white  men  with  whom  I  lived, 
when  a  few  years  ago  I  was  in  the  employ 
of  an  American  firm  in  Manila,  shared  with 
me  a  large  house,  standing  in  the  midst  of 
a  most  luxuriant  garden,  about  two  miles 
up  the  right  bank  of  the  River  Pasig,  a 
river  which  winds  down  from  the  Enchanted 
Lake  back  among  the  hills,  passes  between 
old  and  new  Manila,  and  loses  itself  in 
broad  Manila  Bay. 

The  ground  floor  of  our  house  served 
as  a  carriage-room  and  quarters  for  some 
of  the  servants.  Its  upper  floor  was  divided 
into  sleeping-rooms  and  a  wide  sitting- 
room. 

The  structure  was  built  with  various 
provisions  against  earthquakes ;  for  ex- 
ample, several  huge  posts,  like  the  masts 
of  a  ship,  ran  from  the  roof  down  into 
the  ground,  as  supports;  the  walls  were 


86  LIFE   IN   MANILA. 

covered  with  painted  canvas,  instead  of 
plaster,  and  the  panes  of  the  windows  were 
of  oyster- shell,  instead  of  glass.  These  win- 
dows were  framed  in  overlapping  panels, 
which  could  be  pushed  back  into  the  wall, 
thus  turning  the  room  into  a  sort  of 
veranda.  When  the  windows  were  closed 
in  the  daytime,  the  light  coming  through 
them  was  very  agreeable. 

Our  retinue  consisted  of  about  sixteen 
native  servants,  including  house-boys, 
coachmen,  grooms,  gardeners  and  general 
hangers-on.  This  sounds  extravagant,  but 
each  man  received  only  eight  Mexican 
dollars,  a  month,  out  of  which  he  clothed 
and  fed  himself,  and  his  family,  if  he 
had  one. 

After  we  left  for  our  offices  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  boys  had  nothing  to  do  until  we 
returned,  except  to  dust  the  rooms  and 
keep  the  floors  polished.  Their  hardest 
duty  was  to  provide  the  house  with  water, 
which  was  brought  every  morning  in  a 


LIFE   IN   MANILA. 


87 


THE    ESCOLTA. 


hogshead  fastened  to  a  handcart,  from  the 
public  fountain  nearly  a  mile  away. 

It  had  to  be  carried  laboriously  up-stairs 
in  buckets,  and  emptied  into  an  enormous 
porcelain      tank, 
shaped  like  half  an 
egg-shell,     which 
stood  in  a  back  room 
and    contained    the 
household's    daily 
supply  for  washing, 
cooking  and  drink- 
ing ;     that    used   as   drinking   water   was 
carefully  boiled  and  filtered. 

When  I  first  went  to  Manila  I  had  no 
idea  how  precious  water  was,  and  on  the 
morning  after  my  arrival  I  rose  quite  early, 
eager  for  a  bath.  Now  the  usual  way 
of  taking  a  bath  in  a  Manila  house  is  to 
dip  the  water  from  the  tank  with  a  big 
cocoanut-shell,  and  pour  it  over  one's 
body;  but  nobody  had  told  me  that,  and 
being  delighted  with  the  appearance  of  the 


88  LIFE   IN   MANILA. 

great  tank  filled  with  clear,  sparkling 
water,  I  soused  into  it,  and  was  having  a 
splendid  time,  when  one  of  the  servants, 
named  Felipe,  hearing  suspicious  noises, 
came  to  investigate. 

At  the  sight  of  me  he  threw  up  his 
hands  in  horror  and  dismay,  and  chattered 
at  me  in  Spanish,  of  which  I  did  not  then 
understand  a  word.  Finding  his  protests 
of  no  avail,  he  rushed  away  after  an  inter- 
preter, and  soon  returned  with  one  of  my 
messmates,  who  was  very  sleepy  and  much 
bewildered,  as  Felipe's  disjointed  exclama- 
tions had  made  him  fear  that  something 
dreadful  had  happened. 

He  gasped  when  he  saw  me,  and  then 
explained  the  situation.  "  However,"  he 
said,  philosophically,  "now  that  you  are  in, 
you  may  as  well  stay  there.  You  won't 
get  another  bath  like  that  while  you  are 
here."  And  I  didn't. 

As  for  Felipe  and  the  other  boys,  who 
had  to  trudge  after  more  water  that 


LIFE   IN   MANILA.  89 

August  morning,  I  am  not  sure  that  they 
ever  forgave  me. 

The  coachmen  and  grooms  kept  their 
wives  and  families  in  the  stable,  where 
they  slept  comfortably  among  the  horses. 
They  cooked  their  meals  over  little  bon- 
fires in  the  stable  yard,  while  their  fat 
brown  babies  tumbled  and  rolled  all  over 
the  place,  forever  getting  in  somebody's 
way  and  being  stepped  upon. 

Our  household  included  also  three  or 
four  Chinese  chow  dogs,  with  thick  orange- 
colored  fur  and  coal-black  tongues ;  and 
Pedro,  the  house-snake,  a  small  python, 
which  travelled  about  inside  the  canvas 
walls  and  kept  us  free  from  rats  and  mice. 
Pedro  never  came  out,  and  we  were  not 
disturbed  at  all  by  his  nearness. 

We  slept  on  strips  of  matting,  spread 
over  cane-seated  couches,  the  legs  of  which 
rested  in  bowls  of  water  to  prevent  visits 
from  centipedes,  tarantulas,  white  ants 
and  other  tropical  gentry,  that  cannot  be 


90  LIFE   IN   MANILA. 

kept  out  of  the  houses.  Wash-stands,  side- 
boards and  refrigerators  are  protected  in 
the  same  way.  The  big  white  ant  and 
little  red  ant  seem  particularly  fond  of 
tooth-powder,  and  not  a  vestige  would  be 
left  in  the  morning  if  a  wash-stand  rested 
directly  upon  the  floor. 

Tiny  little  green  and  yellow  lizards  used 
to  dart  about  among  the  books  on  the 
table,  after  the  lamps  were  lighted,  devour- 
ing the  insects  which  swarmed  around  the 
lights.  Occasionally  one  of  these  lizards 
would  drop  from  the  ceiling,  alighting  with 
a  loud  smack. 

Our  amusements  were  few  and  far 
between.  The  burning  heat  from  sunrise 
to  sunset  prevented  any  form  of  outdoor 
recreation  except  driving,  and  on  Sundays 
and  holidays  we  found  little  to  do  except  to 
lie  around  in  Japanese  wrappers,  and  read 
or  watch  the  natives  at  their  games. 

One  game  that  the  children  played 
was  much  like  prisoner's  base.  Another 


A   STOREHOUSE. 


LIFE   IN   MANILA.  91 

consisted  in  keeping  a  big  hollow  ball,  made 
of  bamboo  strips,  in  the  air,  by  kicking  it 
around  a  ring  of  barefooted  players,  who 
stood  several  yards  apart.  The  player  who 
missed  it  was  evi- 
dently out,  and  the 
last  one  in  was  the 
winner.  They  would 
play  this  game  in 
the  glaring  sunlight  by  the  hour,  some  of 
them  with  remarkable  skill. 

Sometimes,  late  in  the  afternoon,  I  took 
a  short  ride  on  my  pony,  either  back 
among  the  hills  lying  inland,  or  among 
the  scattered  native  villages  surrounding 
the  town.  On  other  days  we  drove  across 
the  river  to  the  Luneta  or  grand  prom- 
enade, to  hear  the  band  from  the  Spanish 
garrison  and  to  watch  the  people  slowly 
strolling  up  and  down  the  broad  path. 

Sometimes  I  would  cross  the  drawbridge 
over  the  moat  that  surrounds  the  walls  of 
old  Manila,  and  wander  among  the  queer, 


92  LIFE   IN   MANILA. 

old-fashioned  cannon  which  surmounted 
the  moss  -  grown  fortifications.  There  I 
would  dream  of  the  days  when  they  defied 
the  Chinese  and  Malay  pirates,  and  little 
thought  that  they  would  one  day  be  dis- 
mantled by  Dewey's  terrible  shells. 

On  such  occasions  I  was  always  followed 
at  a  little  distance  by  a  soldier  or  two,  ready 
to  pounce  upon  me  if  I  attempted  to  take 
a  photograph  or  even  to  make  a  sketch. 
From  this  point  I  could  see  the  white 
walls  of  Cavite,  with  its  arsenal  and  navy- 
yard,  glistening  eight  miles  away  along 
the  shore. 

Directly  across  the  river  from  the  old 
city  stood  the  modern  business  quarter, 
with  its  great  hemp-presses  and  its  hun- 
dreds of  Chinese  coolies  trotting  up  and 
down,  laden  with  bales  of  hemp  and  bags 
of  raw  sugar,  ready  to  be  sent  out  to  the 
ships  of  all  nations,  lying  at  anchor  a  mile 
from  shore. 

Through  centuries  of   intercourse  with 


LIFE   IN   MANILA.  93 

the  Malay  and  Chinese  races,  the  natives 
of  Manila  have  lost  all  trace  of  their 
original  characteristics,  if  indeed  they  are 
in  any  degree  kin  to  the  bands  of  Negritos, 
who  still  exist  in  the  mountains  and  forests 
of  northern  Luzon.  These  are  little  black 
men  who  are  supposed  to  be  aborigines 
of  the  island. 

The  Manila  natives  of  to-day  are  stal- 
wart, muscular  fellows,  of  a  dark  chocolate 
color,  with  straight,  scrubby  hair  and  well- 
shaped  features.  Their  eyebrows  have  a 
curious  tendency  to  meet  over  the  nose, 
which  gives  many  of  them  a  sinister  cast 
of  countenance. 

The  dress  of  the  men  in  and  around  the 
towns  consists  of  a  white  bosom  shirt, 
sometimes  lavishly  embroidered,  worn  with 
the  skirts  flapping  outside  a  pair  of  white 
linen  trousers.  Heelless  slippers  are  their 
usual  foot-gear.  If  a  hat  is  worn,  it  is 
commonly  some  white  man's  discarded 
derby. 


94 


LIFE   IN   MANILA. 


They  are  an  easy-going,  indolent  race, 
useful  as  clerks  and  servants,  but  having 
a  strong  dislike  to  manual  labor.  This 
fact  accounts  in  part  for  the  enormous  num- 
ber of  Chinese  in  Manila, 
who  are  willing  to  perform 
every  kind  of  work  at  the 
lowest  wages. 

The  dress  of  the  women 
is  more  elaborate.  It  con- 
sists of  a  brilliantly  colored 
skirt  reaching  to  the  ground, 
and  varying  in  texture  ac- 
cording to  the  means  of  the 
wearer  ;  a  short,  black  over- 
skirt  caught  up  at  one  side ;  a  white  waist 
with  sleeves  extending  to  the  elbow ;  and 
sometimes  an  embroidered  mantilla,  folded 
cornerwise,  with  the  ends  crossed  on  the 
breast.  The  whole  effect  of  this  costume 
is  agreeable  and  becoming. 

The  Filipino  lives  in  a  hut  built  entirely 
of    bamboo,    framework,    floor    and     all, 


LUZON  GIRL. 


LIFE    IN    MANILA. 


95 


which  stands  about  two  feet  from  the 
ground  on  stout  bamboo  posts  or  legs,  by 
way  of  protection  from  floods  and  earth- 
quakes. This  hut  is  thatched  all  over  with 
the  long,  dried  nipa  leaves,  whence  the 
name  of  nipa 
huts.  They  bear 
an  uncanny  re- 
semblance to 
huge,  brown 
bugs,  and  are  so 
inflammable  that 
the  local  insur- 


A   NIPA   HUT. 


ance    companies 

will  not  insure  a 

house  if  there  is  a  nipa  hut  within  forty 

yards  of  it. 

With  a  hut,  a  mango-tree  and  a  fighting- 
cock,  the  unambitious  Filipino  is  perfectly 
satisfied  with  life.  If  he  owns  a  pig  and  a 
few  hens  he  is  considered  prosperous.  If 
his  possessions  include  a  rice-field,  and  a 
water-buffalo  to  wallow  through  it  once  or 


96 


LIFE   IN    MANILA. 


PLOWING    A    RICE-FIELD. 


twice  a  year  attached  to  a  crooked  stick  by 
way  of  a  plow,  he  is  a  power  in  the  com- 
munity. 

Often  several  families  will  own  a  rice- 
field  and  a  buffalo  between  them,  as  was 
the  case  with  certain 
neighbors  of  mine, 
whose  buffalo,  when 
off  duty  at  night,  often 
used  to  make  a  mud- 
hole  for  himself 
directly  across  the 

entrance  to  my  driveway,  get  into  it,  bury 
himself,  all  but  his  head,  and  trip  up  my 
pony  when  I  drove  out  in  the  morning. 
This  always  brought  me  profuse  apologies 
from  the  neighbors,  emphasized  with  gifts 
of  fruit  and  eggs. 

The  Filipinos  are  a  very  cleanly  race, 
forever  washing  themselves,  and  the 
women  especially  take  great  pride  in  their 
hair,  which  is  often  allowed  to  hang  loose 
in  a  great  black  wavy  mass,  sometimes 


LIFE   IN   MANILA. 


97 


reaching  to  their  heels.  When  done  up, 
it  is  combed  straight  back  from  the  fore- 
head into  a  big  knot  at  the  back  of  the 
neck,  and  surmounted  by  a  huge  comb  of 
horn,  or  tortoise-shell,  or  silver.  I  do  not 
remember  having  seen  any  native,  of 
either  sex,  with  the  least  sign  of  baldness, 
and  gray  heads  are  very  rare. 

We  have  not  obtained  a  perfect  paradise 
in  taking  Manila ;  but  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  a  period  of  businesslike  Amer- 
ican administration  would  vastly  improve 
the  conditions  of  life  there. 

CHARLES  B.  HOWARD. 


A    RIVER    BRANCH    IN    MANILA. 


Progress  in  the  Philippines. 

There  never  was  a  Philippine  nation — 
only  a  collection  of  many  tribes,  speaking 
different  languages,  and  having  little  in 
common  except  that  they  all  belong  to  the 
Malayan  race.  It  is  the  Tagalogs,  inhab- 
iting portions  of  the  island  of  Luzon,  who 
assumed  the  name  Filipinos  and  resisted 
the  United  States ;  the  other  civilized 
Filipinos  remained  neutral,  except  where 
coerced  by  the  Tagalogs. 

There  are  Filipinos  in  the  north  of 
Luzon  who  are  old  enemies  of  the  Tag- 
alogs, and  some  of  them  asked  for  arms 
that  they  might  fight  Aguinaldo. 

In  the  summer  of  1899,  the  brother  of 
the  Filipino  President  Lacson,  of  the  Island 
of  Negros,  went  to  Hongkong  to  buy 
steamers  to  develop  trade,  and  he  was 
reported  as  saying  that  the  proposal  of  the 
American  commissioners  concerning  their 


PROGRESS   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES.  99 

government  was  perfectly  satisfactory,  and 
that  "  Negros  is  as  loyal  as  New  York." 

The  commissioners  were  five  Americans 
of  undoubted  intelligence  and  integrity, 
appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to  make  a  most  thorough  and 
impartial  investigation  of  affairs  in  the 
Philippines,  and  to  recommend  a  form  of 
government  for  the  islands.  They  re- 
ported to  the  President  November  2,  1899. 

The  commission  found  as  a  matter  of 
fact  that  no  assurance  was  ever  given  by 
any  one  in  position  of  authority  that  the 
United  States  would  give  the  Filipinos 
independence.  This  fact  is  fully  substan- 
tiated in  a  memorandum  from  Admiral 
Dewey  which  he  gave  the  commissioners. 

The  report  declared  that  the  first  armed 
collision  between  the  American  and  the 
Filipino  armies  was  brought  on  by  delib- 
erate and  often  repeated  attempts  to  pass 
the  American  lines,  and  that  Aguinaldo 
wanted  to  attack  the  American  troops 


100 


PROGRESS   IN  THE   PHILIPPINES. 


when  they  landed  at  Paranaque  in  the 
summer  of  1898,  but  was  deterred  by  the 
lack  of  arms. 

War  could  not  have  been  avoided  by  the 
United  States,  and  there  was  never  a  time 


CITY   GATE    FROM    THE    BAY. 


when  the  American  forces  could  have  been 
withdrawn  either  with  honor  to  ourselves 
or  with  safety  to  the  inhabitants.  The  duty 
of  the  United  States,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  commission,  was  first  to  suppress 
the  insurrection,  and  then  to  maintain 
American  sovereignty  over  the  island. 


PROGRESS   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES.  101 

We  were  assured  from  direct  statements 
made  by  conservative  Filipinos  that  the 
insurgents  represented  but  a  fraction  of 
their  people ;  that  it  was  a  duty  to  the 
world  that  we  retain  the  islands ;  that  the 
people  were  not  capable  of  self-govern- 
ment, but  by  training  and  education  may 
be  made  capable. 

The  commission  recommended  a  ter- 
ritorial form  of  government,  similar  to  that 
framed  by  Thomas  Jefferson  for  the  terri- 
torial organization  of  Louisiana.  The 
scheme  provided  for  the  appointment  of 
a  governor  and  other  high  officials  by 
the  President,  but  allowed  the  natives  to 
elect  at  least  one  branch  of  the  legislature, 
and  to  carry  on  the  town  and  county 
councils  with  the  aid  of  a  small  number 
of  American  commissioners. 

The  first  self-government  in  the  Philip- 
pines was  inaugurated  at  Bacolo,  in  the 
island  of  Negros,  November  6,  1899,  amid 
general  rejoicing  of  the  natives.  The 


102  PROGRESS   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES. 

elections  had  been  held  October  2d,  and 
about  five  thousand  votes  were  cast.  Suf- 
frage was  restricted  by  a  property  qual- 
ification and  the  ability  to  read  and  write. 
The  system  of  government  was  devised 
by  General  Otis  and  the  Philippine  Com- 
mission. The  ofBcers  inaugurated  exercise 
local  authority  under  the  sovereignty  of 
the  United  States. 

The  natives  of  Negros  asked  first  to  be 
allowed  to  establish  their  own  government. 
Permission  was  granted,  and  a  battalion  of 
American  troops  was  also  placed  at  their 
service  as  a  protection  against  the  warlike 
mountain  tribes  of  the  interior.  The  ex- 
periment, however,  was  not  a  success. 

The  natives  soon  asked  for  a  second 
battalion  and  then  for  a  third.  In  a  short 
time  they  began  to  accuse  their  own 
officials  of  dishonesty,  and  to  complain  of 
other  abuses.  Finally  they  requested  the 
Americans  to  assume  control.  The  com- 
mission prepared  a  plan  for  a  simpler  form 


PROGRESS   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES.  103 

of  government,  providing  for  native  officers 
but  an  American  head,  and  this  was  suc- 
cessfully established. 

In  several  towns  on  the  island  of  Luzon, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  experiment  of 
municipal  government  was  tried  by  the 
natives  with  gratifying  results.  But  the 
natives  visited  in  succession  the  com- 
missioner, the  military  representative  and 
their  own  priest,  asking  for  whom  they 
were  expected  to  vote.  The  idea  that 
they  were  to  select  their  own  candidates 
and  vote  according  to  their  own  preferences 
was  beyond  their  comprehension. 

Early  in  1899  courts  were  re-established 
in  the  Philippines,  framed  on  the  Spanish 
system  and  using  the  Spanish  language, 
but  subject  to  the  authority  of  the  United 
States.  The  chief  justice  and  most  of  his 
associates  are  prominent  Filipino  lawyers. 
Among  them  are  Aguinaldo's  chief  adviser 
in  the  early  stages  of  the  insurgent  move- 
ment, a  member  of  Aguinaldo's  first 


104 


PROGRESS   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES. 


cabinet,  and  the   leader  of  the  insurgent 
movement  at  Iloilo. 

As  soon  as  law  prevailed,  that  char- 
acteristic American  institution,  the  public 
school,  was  set  up  in  Manila.  On  the 


BY  COURTF.SY   OF  COLLIER'S   WEEKLY 


A   SCHOOL   IN   MANILA. 


Fourth  of  July  in  that  city  " America"  was 
sung"  by  Filipino,  Spanish  and  Chinese 
school  children.  American  songs  are  very 
attractive  to  these  music-loving  people. 

The  popularity  of    English    among  the 
pupils  of  the  different  schools  is  increasing, 


PROGRESS   IN  THE   PHILIPPINES.  105 

and  it  is  with  difficulty  that  the  pupils  can 
be  made  to  study  Spanish.  The  school 
children,  talking  with  each  other,  say  that 
now  the  Philippines  are  a  part  of  the 
United  States  the  language  should  be 
English,  and  everybody  should  learn  to 
read  and  write  it  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  pupils  of  the  public  schools  are  the 
most  loyal  adherents  of  the  Americans. 
The  "Salute  to  the  Flag,"  originated  by 
The  Youth's  Companion  some  years  ago, 
is  already  a  feature  of  the  exercises  in  the 
Manila  schools,  as  in  the  United  States. 
Thus  the  children  have  gained  an  insight 
into  American  ideas,  and  have  interested 
their  parents  in  what  they  are  learning. 

On  Washington's  Birthday,  1900,  the 
thirty-six  schoolhouses  of  Manila  received 
each  a  gift  of  an  American  flag  from  the 
Lafayette  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  New  York  City. 

The  schoolhouses  were  crowded  with 
natives,  including  teachers,  pupils,  parents 
and  friends,  and  many  Americans  came 


106  PROGRESS   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES. 

also  because  of  their  interest  in  seeing 
"Old  Glory"  rise  and  fall  for  the  first  time 
on  the  Philippine  breezes,  over  American 
public  schools. 

In  many  schools,  as  the  flag  rose,  the 
children,  rising  to  salute  it,  would  break 
forth  in  excellent  singing  in  English  of 
the  "Star-Spangled  Banner"  or  "America." 
Many  English  recitations  were  well  ren- 
dered at  these  exercises  so  fittingly  prefaced 
by  the  raising  of  the  flag. 

But  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the 
day  was  that  the  natives,  mestizos  and 
Spaniards,  joined  heartily  in  the  ceremo- 
nies, and  seemed  as  pleased  to  see  this 
emblem  of  American  protection  raised  on 
high  as  did  the  Americans  themselves. 

The  second  distinct  government  to  give 
allegiance  to  the  United  States  was  that  of 
the  Sulu  Archipelago,  in  the  extreme 
southwestern  part  of  the  Philippines.  The 
sultan  and  his  principal  chiefs,  called 
Dattos,  cordially  welcomed  the  American 


PROGRESS   IN  THE   PHILIPPINES.  107 

officers,  and  signed  acceptance  to  all  their 
slight  changes  in  government  under  the 
Stars  and  Stripes. 

Mindanao,  the  second  largest  island  of 
the  Philippines,  and  Paragua,  the  third  in 
size,  very  soon  after  Sulu  came  willingly 


RAILROAD   STATION,    MANILA. 


under  the  authority  of  the  United  States. 
The  formal  interview  with  the  Sultan  of 
Mindanao  was  very  interesting.  He  vis- 
ited the  American  gunboat  in  his  state 
barge  of  fifty  rowers,  with  his  own  flag  and 
gay  streamers  flying.  He  acceded  to  all 
the  terms  proposed  by  the  Americans,  and 


108  PROGRESS   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES. 

was  generous  in  return.  He  asked  for  a 
United  States  flag  to  replace  his  own  on 
his  barge.  It  was  gladly  given  to  him, 
and  his  return  to  land  under  the  Stars  and 
Stripes,  followed  by  his  two  hundred  re- 
tainers, formed  a  picturesque  pageant. 

Before  the  end  of  the  year  1899  organ- 
ized opposition  to  American  rule  in  Luzon 
was  broken  up,  and  its  leader  became  a 
fugitive ;  local  civil  governments,  with 
courts  and  schools,  were  established  in 
large  towns ;  peaceful  allegiance  was  re- 
ceived of  by  far  the  larger  part  of  all  the 
other  islands  of  the  Philippines. 

By  the  month  of  April,  1900,  the  process 
of  pacification  had  so  far  advanced,  and  so 
many  ports  had  been  opened  to  trade,  that  a 
second  Philippine  Commission  proceeded  to 
establish  civil  government  in  all  the  islands 
upon  the  lines  laid  down  by  the  former 
commission. 


At  the  Pumping- Station. 

The  city  of  Manila  is  supplied  with 
fairly  good  water  from  the  little  river 
Mariquina,  which  has  its  sources  in  the 
mountains.  The  water  has  to  be  pumped 
by  steam-power  into  a  reservoir,  from 
which  it  flows  into  the  city  conduit  and 
pipes.  The  pumping-station  is  six  miles 
due  east  from  Manila,  across  the  flat,  wet 
rice-fields,  among  the  first  low  hills. 

The  station,  which  is  a  substantial  struc- 
ture, contains  two  large  steam  -  boilers  and 
powerful  cylinder  pumps,  which  force  the 
water  through  large  mains  into  the  reser- 
voir. Near  the  pumping-station  stand 
stone  barracks,  in  which  were  quartered 
a  company  of  soldiers,  to  guard  the  plant. 

So  great  an  improvement  in  the  public 
health  followed  the  introduction  of  Mari- 
quina water  that  all  the  old  wells  and 
cisterns  were  given  up  and  fell  into  disuse, 


110  AT  THE   PUMPING -STATION. 

and  the  city  came  to  depend  wholly  on  the 
pumps  and  reservoir. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when 
the  Spanish  surrendered  Manila  and  the 
Americans  took  possession.  But  when 
Aguinaldo  raised  the  standard  of  inde- 
pendence, the  pumping-station  was  within 
the  Filipino  lines  and  the  water-supply 
completely  at  their  mercy. 

But  although  the  Filipino  chief  could 
have  greatly  embarrassed  the  American 
forces  in  the  city  by  cutting  off  the  water- 
supply,  he  refrained  from  doing  so,  prob- 
ably on  account  of  the  distress  which  would 
be  caused  to  the  thousands  of  his  fellow- 
countrymen  who  reside  there. 

A  most  painful  state  of  uncertainty 
prevailed,  however  ;  and  when  the  collision 
with  the  insurgents  took  place,  General 
Otis  at  once  made  the  water-works  the 
objective  point  of  an  attack.  It  was  hoped 
that  by  a  rapid  advance  the  insurgents 
might  be  dislodged  and  driven  away  from 


AT  THE   PUMPING  -  STATION.  Ill 

the  pumps  before  they  had  time  to  destroy 
them. 

The  movement  was  executed  with  such 
celerity  and  vim  that  after  the  first  onset, 
when  for  a  few  minutes  there  was  sharp 
fighting,  the  natives  broke  from  cover  and 
fled  whenever  the  charging  hurrah  of  our 
men  arose.  The  hill  near  the  pumping- 
station  was  carried  at  five  in  the  afternoon. 
Less  than  five  hundred  yards  away,  in  the 
valley  near  the  river,  stood  the  power-house 
with  its  high  chimney. 

The  pumps  had  been  working  when  the 
forward  movement  began,  but  now  as  our 
men  mounted  the  hill,  they  saw  that  no 
smoke  or  steam  was  rising,  and  that  the 
place  looked  deserted.  Not  only  the 
Filipino  riflemen  but  the  firemen  had  run 
away.  Both  barracks  and  power  -  house 
looked  as  solitary  as  a  ruin. 

I  was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  the  place. 
Dusk  was  falling.  The  station  was  silent 
as  a  tomb.  Shovels,  poker-bars  and  fire- 


112  AT  THE    PUMPING  -  STATION. 

rakes  lay  scattered  about  the  concrete  floor, 
just  as  the  firemen  had  thrown  them  down. 
But  the  pumps  were  the  first  objects  of  our 
attention.  At  first  glance,  nothing"  seemed 
to  be  wrong. 

Smithson  of  our  company  was  sounding 
the  big  steam-pipes.  "All  right  here!"  he 
sang  out. 

"They  haven't  blown  up  anything!" 
Private  Wilson  exclaimed,  opening  the 
furnace  doors. 

Lieutenant  Green  had  struck  a  match 
and  was  peering  behind  the  pump  cylin- 
ders. "Humph!  Here's  a  bad  break!" 
he  muttered.  "Cylinder  head  gone  !" 

"This  one's  off,  too!"  cried  Corporal 
Haines,  who  had  been  to  the  other  pump. 
"Both  of  them !" 

"Both  these  are  gone,"  observed  Lieu- 
tenant Green  ;  and  about  that  time  some 
one  else  discovered  that  the  "rockers" 
were  also  missing. 

"Well,    well,    they    did   the    worst   they 


AT  THE  PUMPING  -  STATION.  113 

could  in  the  time  they  had !"  Sergeant 
Whitmarsh  exclaimed. 

''That's  so,"  said  Smithson.  "If  they 
couldn't  do  the  pumping  themselves,  they 
were  determined  nobody  else  should." 

"Probably  lugged  the  cylinder  heads  off 
with  them,"  said  Smithson. 

"Don't  you  think  it!"  exclaimed  the 
sergeant.  "Too  heavy.  They've  thrown 
them  into  the  river,  or  into  some  well." 

"If  we  cannot  find  them,  there  will  be 
no  more  pumping  here  very  soon,"  ob- 
served the  lieutenant.  "I  don't  believe 
those  cylinder  heads  and  rockers  can  be 
reproduced  in  Manila,"  and  he  went  off 
to  report  the  condition  of  things  to  Colonel 
Stotsenburg. 

Pickets  were  thrown  out  and  we  camped 
there  at  the  pumping-station  and  barracks 
that  night. 

The  next  morning,  instead  of  advancing 
across  the  river,  Major  Grove  set  the  whole 
force  searching  for  the  missing  pump 


114  AT  THE   PUMPING  -  STATION. 

gear.  Squads  of  men  waded  up  and  down 
the  river,  and  even  dived  at  the  deep  holes. 
Every  mud-hole  was  probed ;  the  bottom 
of  every  well  within  half  a  mile  was  inves- 
tigated. Squads  also  went  hither  and 
thither,  with  eyes  on  the  ground,  to  see  if 
any  holes  had  been  dug. 

At  about  nine  o'clock  six  army  engineers 
arrived  from  Manila,  and  made  a  technical 
report  of  the  damage  to  the  plant ;  they 
also  took  exact  measurements  of  the  cylin- 
ders, rods,  bolts,  and  so  forth,  with  a  view 
to  having  new  heads  cast,  if  possible,  at  the 
foundry  and  arsenal  at  Cavite.  Whether 
this  could  be  done  there,  was  a  matter  of 
some  doubt ;  and  it  seemed  certain,  at  best, 
that  the  city  must  go  thirsty  for  a  time. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Guy 
Hays  came  to  the  pump-house  and  began 
to  look  around.  After  examining  the 
engines  and  cylinders,  he  strolled  into  the 
coal-shed  which  opens  out  of  the  boiler- 
room.  Several  others  were  about  the  place 


AT  THE   PUMPING  -  STATION.  US 

at  the  time.  In  one  corner  of  the  coal-shed 
there  was  a  heap  of  six  or  seven  tons  of 
coal,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  shed  another 
heap  of  about  the  same  size.  The  floor  of 
the  shed  was  of  hard  earth. 

"You  won't  find  those  heads  there, 
Guy,"  Smithson  said  to  him,  jocosely. 

Hays  ran  his  eye  around,  first  over  the 
coal  in  the  corner,  and  then  over  the  heap 
in  the  centre.  Something  in  this  seemed  to 
attract  his  attention.  He  stepped  forward 
and  looked  at  it  more  attentively. 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  he  replied,  care- 
lessly. "Got  a  shovel  handy?" 

There  were  a  number  of  coal-shovels 
standing  just  inside  the  boiler-room  door. 
Whitmarsh  handed  one  to  Hays,  who 
scraped  away  the  coal  for  two  or  three  feet 
back  from  the  edge  of  the  heap,  then  stuck 
the  shovel  down  into  the  ground  there. 

"Something  seems  to  have  been  buried 
here,  boys,"  he  said.  "Fetch  a  cleaning- 
bar  and  punch  down  here  with  it." 


116 


AT  THE   PUMPING  -  STATION. 


Smithson  brought  one,  and  Hays  thrust 
it  down  into  the  soft  spot.     They  prodded 


"  LOOKED    LIKE    A    NEWLY    FILLED   GRAVE. 

there  for  some  moments.  At  a  depth  of 
two  feet  or  more  in  the  soft  place,  the 
point  of  the  bar  struck  something  hard. 


AT  THE   PUMPING  -  STATION.  117 

Smithson  now  ran  to  fetch  another  shovel. 
He  and  Hays  cleared  away  the  coal  and 
exposed  what  looked  like  a  newly  filled 
grave,  about  six  feet  long  by  three  or  four 
wide. 

''Maybe  it's  a  Filipino,"  the  sergeant 
remarked. 

"He  was  a  hard  boy,  then,"  said  Hays. 
"What  I  hit  with  the  bar  was  like  iron." 

They  rapidly  threw  out  the  dirt  with 
shovels,  and  Hays  soon  struck  something 
that  grated  like  iron,  and  when  the  earth 
was  scraped  off,  seemed  to  be  white. 
Whitmarsh  then  thrust  down  a  bar  at  one 
side  and  pried  up  a  large  circular  disk. 
It  was  one  of  the  missing  cylinder  heads ! 

As  many  as  thirty  of  the  men  had  now 
come  around,  and  when  Hays  threw  the 
head  out  on  the  floor,  such  a  cheer  rose  as 
soon  brought  every  man  from  the  barracks 
and  drew  in  the  search-parties. 

The  lost  heads  were  all  down  there  in 
the  hole,  and  the  rockers  had  been  laid 


118  AT  THE   PUMPING  -  STATION. 

beside  them.  Nothing  was  injured  or 
broken,  and  the  Filipino  pumpmen  had 
coated  everything  neatly  with  white  lead 
before  burying  it,  so  that  the  steel  would 
not  rust  while  lying  in  the  earth. 

"It  looks  as  if  the  rascals  thought  that 
they  should  come  back  and  want  to  use 
the  pumps,"  Major  Grove  remarked,  as 
Hays  laid  the  four  white  heads  in  a  row  on 
the  floor.  The  bolts  were  in  the  heads, 
and  the  nuts  and  washers  had  been  screwed 
back  on  the  ends  of  the  bolts. 

Some  of  the  Nebraska  men,  who  had 
been  wading  in  the  river,  exploring 
wells  and  searching  the  whole  country 
roundabout,  felt  not  a  little  chagrin  that 
the  missing  parts  had  been  found  so  near 
at  hand. 

It  seems  that  the  native  pumpmen  had 
not  time  to  look  very  long  for  a  hiding- 
place  after  the  alarm  of  our  attack  reached 
them.  They  hid  the  parts  in  the  first 
place  that  suggested  itself,  so  near  the 


AT  THE   PUMPING  -  STATION.  119 

pumps  that  we  had  not  thought  of  look- 
ing there. 

Hays  afterward  told  us  that  what  drew 
his  attention  particularly  to  that  heap  of 
coal  was  a  little  lump  of  fresh-looking 
earth  no  larger  than  a  hen's  egg  which  lay 
between  two  lumps  of  coal. 

A  signal  message  was  at  once  sent  after 
the  engineers,  and  during  the  afternoon 
three  of  them  returned  to  the  station.  By 
six  that  evening  the  plant  was  working 
again. 

GEORGE  HOWE. 


THE   PUMPING  -  STATION. 


My   First  Night  in   Manila. 

The  house  in  which  I  first  went  to  live 
in  Manila  was  a  typical  Spanish  structure, 
built  around  an  open  courtyard,  with  strong 
walls  and  grated  windows.  The  roof  over 
the  wider  front  portion  of  it  was  of  corru- 
gated iron,  as  is  common  here  on  account 
of  earthquakes.  Having  the  whole  house 
to  choose  from  I  selected  two  rooms  on 
the  second  floor,  fronting  the  street. 

The  first  night  after  taking  possession 
I  spent  down  at  Cavite  with  some  friends ; 
but  my  servant  remained  and  availed  him- 
self of  my  absence  to  smuggle  into  the 
yard  two  tough-looking  game-cocks  of  his 
own  ;  for  all  these  natives  have  a  passion 
for  cock-fighting. 

The  old  house  had  also  still  other  den- 
izens which  I  did  not  learn  about  till  the 
first  night  that  I  actually  passed  there. 
Any  one  living  in  Manila,  even  a  newcomer 


MY   FIRST   NIGHT   IN    MANILA.  121 

of  a  few  weeks'  experience  in  a  dwelling- 
house  there,  would  have  understood  matters 
better  than  I  did. 

Something  about  the  queer,  musty  old 
place  gave  me  a  singular  sensation  of 
lonesomeness  for  awhile.  Then  I  heard 
Florencio,  my  servant,  coming  up  the  stairs 
from  the  yard.  He  brought  in  drinking- 
water,  opened  my  bed,  and  laid  a  pair  of 
slippers  beside  it.  As  yet  he  and  I  had 
much  difficulty  in  understanding  each 
other.  He  spoke  Tagalog  and  a  little 
Spanish  ;  I  still  less  Spanish  and  no  Taga- 
log. I  thought  he  appeared  uneasy,  and 
scarcely  wondered  at  it,  as  the  house  was 
so  silent  and  deserted.  I  asked  him  if  he 
were  afraid. 

"Ah,  nao,  sefior,"  he  replied,  with  a 
doubtful  look  around,  but  added  something 
about  picaros,  and  then  explained,  in  many 
long  sentences,  none  of  which  I  more 
than  half  comprehended,  that  native  black 
burglars  often  crept  in,  naked,  having  their 


122  MY   FIRST  NIGHT   IN   MANILA. 

bodies  smeared  with  fat  so  that  they  could 
not  be  seized  or  held. 

I  had  a  Krag-Jorgensen  carbine ;  but 
Florencio  brought  in  two  old  rusted  lances 
which  he  had  found  below,  such  as  had 
sometimes  been  used  by  Spanish  cavalry. 
With  an  odd  smile,  he  stood  up  one  of 
these  doughty  weapons  beside  my  bed,  inti- 
mating that  he  should  keep  the  other  in 
the  back  room  which  he  occupied  on  the 
first  floor.  I  laughed  at  him  ;  yet  in  the 
disturbed  condition  of  the  city  at  that  time 
precautions  were  not  entirely  out  oj  place. 

After  he  had  said  buenas  noches,  and  I 
had  listened  to  his  shuffling  feet  descending 
the  stairs,  I  read  for  a  while,  and  then  went 
to  bed.  The  night  was  not  uncomfortably 
hot.  I  blew  out  the  feeble  lamp  and  fell 
asleep  at  once. 

A  scraping  sound  soon  waked  me ;  a 
rat  was  dragging  one  of  my  shoes  across 
the  tiled  floor.  When  I  struck  a  match, 
the  big  gray  fellow  dropped  the  shoe  and 


MY   FIRST  NIGHT   IN    MANILA.  123 

scurried  into  a  corner,  where  I  could  see 
his  small  eyes  reflecting  the  light. 

I  put  my  shoes  and  socks  on  my  bed, 
and  again  fell  asleep ;  but  not  for  long. 
Frightful  squealings  broke  out.  A  bat- 
talion of  charging  Filipinos  could  hardly 
have  made  a  sharper  uproar,  and  it  was 
overhead!  "Something  larger  than  rats 
this  time,"  I  thought,  starting  up,  and 
once  more  lighted  my  lamp. 

The  ceilings  of  these  old  Spanish  houses 
usually  show  the  beams  and  boards.  A 
heavy  object  was  rolling  and  tumbling  in 
the  loft  above  the  ceiling  of  my  room,  and 
I  could  hear  an  occasional  clang  against 
the  iron  roof  above  it.  Then  a  strange, 
grating,  sliding  noise  succeeded,  followed 
immediately  by  another  frightful  outburst 
of  screams ;  then  bump-thump-plump  all 
over  the  loft ! 

Considerably  excited,  I  jumped  up,  and 
seizing  the  old  lance,  struck  and  prod- 
ded the  ceiling-boards  vigorously.  These 


TUMBLING   ABOUT  THE   ROOM. 


MY   FIRST  NIGHT   IN   MANILA.  125 

proved  not  to  be  nailed  or  fastened  in  any 
way ;  they  turned  over  easily.  Dirt,  dust 
and  a  shower  of  rubbish  fell.  But  my 
demonstration  had  the  effect  of  quieting 
the  noise  for  the  time  being. 

From  the  sounds  I  was  sure  that  a  man 
or  some  large  animal,  as  well  as  rats,  must 
be  in  the  loft.  Mounting  a  chair,  with  the 
lance  in  one  hand,  I  held  up  the  lamp. 
As  I  raised  the  light  there  was  a  sudden 
commotion  above,  a  clatter  of  the  over- 
turned boards,  and  there  slid  down,  not  a 
yard  from  my  face,  fully  a  fathom's  length 
of  the  ugliest  scaly  serpent  that  I  ever  set 
my  eyes  on  ! 

I  yelled  outright,  purely  from  terror,  and 
jumped  down  from  the  chair.  The  monster 
appeared  to  be  coming  down  tail  first. 
The  lamp  chimney  fell  to  the  floor  and 
broke,  by  no  means  improving  the  feeble 
light.  The  snake  was  still  sliding  down. 
Apparently  there  were  yards  of  it  behind ! 

Its  tail   now  nearly  touched   the  floor. 


126  MY   FIRST  NIGHT   IN   MANILA. 

Putting  down  the  flaring  lamp,  I  snatched 
my  carbine  and  literally  blew  a  hole 
through  the  reptile's  body.  It  fell,  bleed- 
ing and  thrashing,  on  the  tiles. 

But  the  noise  in  the  loft  had  increased. 
Glancing  up,  I  saw  the  tail  of  another 
python  whipping  down  as  he  ran  over  the 
beams.  A  second  shot  sent  it  executing 
even  wilder  gyrations. 

At  length,  catching  sight  of  its  body 
gliding  across  one  of  the  wide  cracks  I  had 
made  by  overturning  the  boards,  I  fired 
and  brought  it  down  through  the  hole. 

Both  snakes,  the  smaller  of  which  was 
not  less  than  nine  feet  long,  were  now 
tumbling  about  the  room,  and  to  escape 
them  I  leaped  upon  the  bed,  for  my  feet 
were  bare. 

At  that  moment  there  came  a  hasty 
knocking  at  the  door,  with  Florencio  crying 
in  alarmed  accents,  "  Senor  !  Senor  !  Que 
hay?"  (What  is  it?) 

He  had  naturally  concluded  that  a  battle 


MY   FIRST  NIGHT   IN   MANILA.  127 

with  robbers  was  raging.  It  is  good  evi- 
dence of  his  fidelity  that  he  had  seized  his 
lance  and  come  to  my  assistance. 

With  an  eye  to  the  writhing  serpents, 
I  got  down,  threw  the  door  open,  and 
jumped  hastily  back  on  the  bed.  Florencio, 
weapon  in  hand,  peered  in.  He  was  ashen 
with  terror.  But  as  his  eyes  took  in  the 
situation,  the  dying  serpents  and  the 
damaged  ceiling,  his  face  regained  its 
wonted  expression.  Nay,  he  even  smiled! 

Then,  marking  my  excitement,  he  began 
a  reassuring  discourse,  of  which  I  under- 
stood scarcely  a  word.  Quite  fearlessly, 
as  it  seemed  to  me,  he  seized  the  snakes 
by  the  tail,  and  hauling  them  out  on  the 
gallery,  threw  them  down  into  the  yard. 
Then  he  began  to  tidy  up  the  room,  all  the 
while  repeating  something  about  culebras 
de  casa  (house  snakes),  and  that  el  senor 
(the  gentleman)  no  conoce  (did  not  know). 

It  was  not  until  the  next  day  that  I  came 
fairly  to  understand  that  I  had  foolishly 


128  MY     FIRST  NIGHT   IN   MANILA. 

killed  two  harmless  boas  which  had  filled 
the  necessary  office  of  rat-catchers  in  the 
old  house  for  years,  and  whose  place  would 
have  to  be  filled  by  others  of  their  species 
if  we  expected  to  live  there. 

I  then  learned  that  most  old  houses  at 
Manila  have  their  house  serpents,  which 
live  in  the  lofts  and  attics  above  the  ceil- 
ings, rarely  or  never  giving  the  people  any 
trouble.  These  snakes,  in  fact,  are  sold 
by  native  pedlers  on  the  street. 

Not  many  days  later,  snake  pedlers, 
acting  from  some  hint  of  Florencio's  prob- 
ably, came  to  the  house  door,  each  bearing 
a  bamboo  pole  over  his  shoulder,  with  a 
boa  coiled  around  it.  The  reptiles  were 
tied  by  the  neck  to  the  poles,  to  prevent 
them  from  escaping.  It  cost  me  two 
dollars  to  make  good  the  slaughter  which 
my  inexperience  had  occasioned. 

C.  A.  STEPHENS. 


MID-OCEAN  AMERICA. 


Hawaii  and  its  Accession. 

A  hundred  years  ago  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  were  densely  populated  by  different 
tribes  of  savages,  who  often  made  war  upon 
each  other. 

Then  the  chief  of  a  strong  tribe  on  the 
island  of  Hawaii,  after  a  long  series  of  con- 
quests, united  the  whole  group  under  one 
government  and  proclaimed  himself  king. 

This  first  king  was  Kamehameha  the 
Great,  who  is  honored  by  a  statue  in  front 
of  the  government  building  at  Honolulu. 

In  his  reign  Christian  missionaries  began 
their  labors  among  the  Hawaiians,  and 
under  the  rule  of  his  successors,  schools 
and  churches  were  established  throughout 
all  the  islands. 

American  and  European  trade  devel- 
oped, and  civilization  progressed  so  rapidly 
that  when  a  republic  was  proclaimed  in 
1893,  Hawaii,  although  so  small,  was 


132 


HAWAII   AND   ITS  ACCESSION. 


recognized    as    one    of    the    independent 

nations  of  the  world. 

The  area  of  the  whole  eight  islands  is 

but  little  larger  than  the  State  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  the  pop- 
ulation is  a  little 
over  one  hundred 
thousand,  of  which 
one-fifth  is  in  the 
city  of  Honolulu. 
The  harbor  of 
Honolulu  is  one  of 
the  prettiest  in  the 
world.  It  is  not 
large,  but  it  is  safe 
in  any  weather, 
and  its  location  at 
the  cross-roads  of 
the  Pacific  makes 
it  very  valuable  to 
commerce. 
Honolulu  grew  very  rapidly  under  the 

administration    of    King    Kalakaua,    who 


STATUE    OF    KAMEHAMEHA. 


HAWAII   AND   ITS  ACCESSION.  133 

encouraged  modern  improvements.  The 
business  portion  is  built  of  stone  and  brick, 
and  has  every  appearance  of  a  progressive 
American  city. 

The  dwelling-houses  are  built  of  wood, 
and  are  surrounded  by  extensive  gardens 


COTTAGE    HIDDEN   IN   FOLIAGE. 


of  tropical  trees  and  flowers.  Even  the 
poor  people  live  in  little  wooden  cottages 
almost  hidden  in  profuse  foliage.  The 
native  grass  hut  still  serves  a  good  purpose 
throughout  all  the  islands,  but  it  is  rapidly 


134  HAWAII   AND   ITS  ACCESSION. 

disappearing  before  the  march  of  modern 
improvements,  which  are  utilizing  the 
riches  of  soil  and  climate. 

The  largest  sugar  plantations  in  the 
world  are  located  in  our  new  territory. 
The  most  modern  methods  of  railway, 


NATIVE  GRASS   HUT. 


steam  and  electricity  are  used.  Artesian 
wells  supply  any  possible  lack  of  rain,  and 
everything  known  to  science  is  employed 
to  secure  profitable  results  every  year. 

Coffee  plantations  are  increasing  every 
year,  and  Hawaiian  coffee  is  becoming 
known  as  equal  to  any  in  the  world.  With 


HAWAII   AND   ITS   ACCESSION.  135 

the  advent  of  Chinese  laborers,  extensive 
swamps  have  been  turned  into  profitable 
rice-fields.  On  the  hillsides,  where  tillage 
would  be  inconvenient,  immense  herds  of 
cattle  and  swine  may  feed.  Nearly  all  the 
large  enterprises  are  American. 

The  native  Kanaka  and  some  foreigners 
get  a  marvellously  easy  living  out  of  small 
patches  of  ground  where  they  raise  taro, 
bananas,  cocoanuts,  and  whatever  of  every 
kind  of  vegetable  they  wish.  Home  is  a 
paradise  to  the  native,  who  revels  in  the 
ever  abundance  of  flowers. 

Wise  American  statesmen  carefully  ob- 
served the  increasing  products  of  the 
Hawaiian  group,  and  the  corresponding 
increase  of  trade  with  the  United  States ; 
the  little  kingdom  had  granted  us  the  only 
American  coaling  station  between  San 
Francisco  and  Yokohama;  so  when  the 
change  of  government  came,  no  prudent 
statesman  could  endure  the  thought  of 
European  supremacy  over  those  islands. 


136 


HAWAII  AND   ITS   ACCESSION. 


In  the  closing  days  of  President  Harri- 
son's administration,  a  treaty  was  submitted 
to  the  Senate,  providing  for  the  annexation 
of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  which  had  just 


MAP   OF   HAWAII. 


become  a  republic.  The  treaty  did  not 
reach  a  vote  in  the  Senate,  and  was  with- 
drawn by  President  Cleveland  soon  after  he 
came  into  office.  A  new  treaty,  closely 
resembling  the  earlier  one,  was  negotiated, 
and  submitted  to  the  Senate  by  President 
McKinley. 

Under  the  treaty,  the  government  of  the 


HAWAII   AND  ITS  ACCESSION.  137 

Hawaiian  Islands  offered  to  the  United 
States  all  rights  of  sovereignty  over  the 
islands  if  the  United  States  would  assume 
the  public  debt  of  Hawaii,  to  an  amount 
not  to  exceed  four  million  dollars. 

The  Senate  of  Hawaii  promptly  ratified 
the  treaty  providing  for  the  annexation  of 
the  islands  to  the  United  States.  The 
action  was  taken  at  a  special  session  by 
a  unanimous  vote.  The  Senate  of  the 
United  States  did  not  vote  upon  this  treaty, 
but  took  another  form  of  legislation. 

The  President,  July  7,  1898,  signed  reso- 
lutions providing  for  the  annexation  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  which  had  previously 
passed  both  Houses  of  Congress.  The 
President  was  given  power  to  provide  for 
the  government  of  the  islands  until  Con- 
gress should  enact  laws  for  that  purpose. 
He  appointed  five  commissioners,  including 
President  Dole  and  a  judge  of  the  Hawaiian 
Supreme  Court,  to  recommend  to  Con- 
gress suitable  legislation  for  the  island. 


138  HAWAII   AND    ITS   ACCESSION. 

President  Sanford  B.  Dole  was  at  the 
head  of  the  provisional  government  which 
succeeded  the  deposed  Queen  Liliuokalani, 
in  January,  1893,  and  was  President  of  the 
Hawaiian  Republic  from  the 
time  it  was  proclaimed,  July  4, 
1894,  till  Hawaii  became  a 
territory  of  the  United  States. 
It  was  a  new  thing  which 
this  commission  had  to  do. 
GOVERNOR  DOLE.  \Ye  had  never  before  had 
to  frame  a  government  for  territory  two 
thousand  miles  away.  But  the  Constitution 
gives  Congress  full  power,  and  some  of  the 
principles  hitherto  applied  in  the  govern- 
ment of  territories  are  adapted  to  Hawaii. 

A  bill  establishing  a  territorial  govern- 
ment in  Hawaii  became  a  law  by  the 
signature  of  the  President,  April  30,  1900. 
The  form  of  government  closely  resem- 
bles that  of  existing  territories,  including 
a  governor  and  other  executive  officers, 
a  legislature  of  two  branches,  and  a 


HAWAII   AND   ITS   ACCESSION. 


139 


judiciary  consisting  of   a  supreme   court, 
circuit  court  and  inferior  courts. 

It  provides  that  Hawaii  shall  be  repre- 
sented in  Congress  by  a  delegate  who  shall 
have  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives, 


EXECUTIVE   MANSION,   HONOLULU. 


with  a  right  to  debate,  but  not  a  vote. 
The  delegate  to  Congress  will  be  chosen 
at  an  election  of  the  people. 

The  tariff  laws  of  the  United  States  are 
extended  over  the  islands,  so  they  have  the 
same  free  trade  with  the  states  that  all 
other  states  and  territories  of  the  Union 
enjoy,  and  the  same  revenues  on  imports 


140  HAWAII   AND   ITS   ACCESSION. 

from  foreign  countries.  The  Territory  of 
Hawaii  is  specifically  made  a  customs 
district  of  the  United  States,  with  ports  of 
entry  at  Honolulu,  Hilo,  Mahukona  and 
Kahului. 

The  bill  establishes  an  educational  qual- 
ification for  the  suffrage,  and  gives  the 
appointment  of  the  supreme  and  circuit 
courts  to  the  President.  For  the  first 
governor  of  the  Territory  of  Hawaii,  the 
President  appointed  Mr.  Dole,  who  had 
already  proved  his  ability  and  devotion  to 
Hawaiian  welfare. 

The  new  government  will  probably  have 
to  struggle  for  years  with  the  adjustment 
of  the  United  States  laws  concerning 
Asiatic  laborers.  While  unlimited  immi- 
gration would  threaten  the  civilization  of 
the  islands,  it  is  true  that  Asiatic  labor  will 
continue  an  important  factor  in  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  great  sugar,  rice  and  coffee 
plantations  of  the  Hawaiian  Territory. 


The  Hawaiian  Volcanoes. 

With  the  annexation  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  we  brought  under  our  dominion 
the  two  most  wonderful  volcanoes  in  the 
world,  Mauna  Loa  and  Kilauea.  These 
two  volcanoes  lie  near  together  on  Hawaii, 
the  largest  island  of  the  group. 

Mauna  Loa  is  nearly  fourteen  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  A  great 
group  of  craters  opens  on  the  very  summit, 
and  in  their  centre  lies  the  vast  primitive 
crater,  two  thousand  yards  wide  and  one 
thousand  feet  deep. 

The  great  lava  streams  are  very  seldom 
discharged  from  the  very  rim  of  Mauna  Loa, 
but  the  molten  lava  mostly  escapes  from 
fissures  made  far  below,  on  the  side  of 
the  mountain.  Advices  from  Honolulu 
told  that  in  the  late  great  eruption  the  city, 
although  two  hundred  miles  distant,  was 
enveloped  in  smoke  from,  the  volcano. 


142 


THE   HAWAIIAN   VOLCANOES. 


The  town  of  Hilo,  on  the  coast  east  of 
Mauna  Loa,  has  been  several  times  men- 
aced by  streams  of  lava  from  the  volcano. 
What  one  of  these  streams  is  like  is  thus 
told  by  a  writer  at  Honolulu : 


LAVA   FLOW. 


"  I  spent  a  night  at  the  end  of  a  glossy 
black  river  of  humpy  rock,  over  half  a  mile 
wide,  sluggishly  eating  its  way  through  a 
dense  and  lofty  forest.  Out  of  its  irregular, 
billowy  front  line  of  black  tongues  of  rock 
among  the  trees,  fresh  red  tongues  of 
molten  rock  were  here  and  there  pushing 


THE   HAWAIIAN   VOLCANOES.  143 

forward,  wrapping  in  flame  the  lofty  trees 
and  broad  ferns. 

"  One  broad  tongue  slowly  crept  down  a 
brook  channel,  licking  up  the  water  pools 
with  loud  explosions.  In  half  an  hour  we 
could  step  across  the  congealed  lava, 
although  it  bent  like  ice  under  the  weight. 
We  boiled  our  coffee  on  the  hot,  rounded 
ends  of  a  tongue,  as  on  a  stove.  When 
our  breakfast  was  finished,  the  rock  opened 
and  emitted  a  fresh  stream. 

"It  ran  sluggishly  like  pitch.  It  was 
forty  miles  from  its  source,  whence  it  had 
come  through  a  few  covered  tunnels, 
where  it  ran  swiftly,  near  the  end  ramify- 
ing into  a  multitude  of  streamlets.  The 
general  rate  of  advance  averaged  perhaps 
one  hundred  feet  a  day.  Much  of  the  lava 
was  expended  in  piling  up  behind  to  an 
average  depth  of  ten  feet  or  more. 

"The  whole  formed  a  cruel  monster, 
slowly  creeping  toward  its  prey,  the  beau- 
tiful town  on  the  bay.  It  was  a  long  agony 


144  THE   HAWAIIAN   VOLCANOES. 

for  the  people,  as  month  after  month  the 
terrible  fire  drew  nearer,  until,  after  thirteen 
months  of  fears  and  prayers,  it  suddenly 
ceased  only  six  miles  away.  Again  in 
1 88 1  the  terror  was  repeated  with  a  swifter 
stream  and  longer  flow,  which  almost 
grazed  the  town." 

In  1868  a  fiery  stream  forced  its  way  to 
the  surface  through  the  side  of  Kilauea, 
and  after  flowing  sixty  miles  to  the  south- 
west, poured  in  a  flaming  cataract  over  the 
cliffs  into  the  sea,  where  it  formed  a  great 
pyramid  of  lava.  It  was  estimated  that 
fifteen  billions  of  cubic  feet  were  discharged 
by  the  volcano  on  that  occasion. 

In  1 88 1  the  amount  of  lava  flowing  was 
so  great  that  it  continued  in  motion  for 
nine  months  before  it  had  cooled  enough 
to  stop  the  onward  march  of  death. 

Kilauea  rises  but  four  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea,  but  its  crater  is  a  great 
circular  chasm  nine  miles  around,  and  its 
centre  is  a  fearful  mass  of  boiling,  steaming 


THE   HAWAIIAN   VOLCANOES.  145 

lava.  This  is  the  crater,  and  the  only  one, 
that  is  so  often  visited  by  tourists  and 
scientific  men,  for  it  is  not  only  the  most 
noteworthy  volcano  in  the  world,  but  may 
be  examined  with  great  convenience. 


r;   ; 


TROPICAL   REGION   NEAR   HILO. 


Stages  run  by  an  easy  road  about  thirty 
miles  from  Hilo.  For  the  greater  part  of 
the  distance  the  journey  is  through  the 
most  beautiful  tropical  regions,  abounding 
in  luxuriant  vegetation  growing  on  the 
decomposed  lava  of  past  ages.  The  road 


146  THE   HAWAIIAN   VOLCANOES. 

ends    on    the    barren    lava    in    the    most 
desolate  and  dreary  region  imaginable. 

At  a  safe  and  convenient  distance  from 
the  crater  a  hotel  is  located,  where  visitors 
may  rest  and  examine  the  crater  at  leisure. 
In  ordinary  times  this  large  crater  contains 


LIFELESS   LAVA. 


a  sea  of  molten  lava,  boiling  red  and  almost 
white-hot  in  the  interior,  and  rolling  toward 
the  edge  or  bank.  As  the  lava  moves 
toward  the  shore  it  cools,  darkens  and 
stiffens.  Other  masses  boil  over  it,  break 
and  bury  it  to  melt  and  boil  up  again. 

All  around  the  crater  are  masses  of  black 
lifeless  lava,  with  here  and  there  fissures 
emitting  deadly  sulphurous  gases.  A 
guide  is  always  needed  to  guard  visitors 
against  dangerous  places.  There  are  many 


THE   HAWAIIAN   VOLCANOES.  147 

openings  to  which  ladies  and  gentlemen 
can  go  with  perfect  safety,  into  which  one 
may  thrust  the  end  of  his  walking-stick  and 
pull  it  out  ablaze. 

It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Hawaiian  volcano 
that  it  has  always  crusted  lava  around  its 
crater,  and  never  a  cone  of  cinders,  like 
Vesuvius  or  other  well-known  volcanoes. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  all  the 
islands  of  the  Hawaiian  group  are  volcanic 
in  origin.  Each  has  ope  or  more  extinct 
volcanoes.  In  geological  history  the  island 
farthest  west  is  the  oldest,  and  Hawaii  is 
the  youngest  island.  It  naturally  follows 
that  the  volcanoes  of  Hawaii  should  be  the 
survivors. 

The  native  Hawaiians  supposed  the 
crater  of  Kilauea  to  be  the  abode  of  their 
destructive  goddess,  Pele.  Many  an  inno- 
cent little  pig  or  chicken  has  been  thrown 
into  the  boiling  fire  to  appease  Pele's 
wrath,  that  she  might  turn  aside  a  threaten- 
ing calamity.  j.  E.  CHAMBERLIN. 


Poi- Making  in  Hawaii. 

What  maize  was  to  the  American  Indian, 
what  rice  is  to  the  Chinaman,  poi  was  and 
still  is  to  the  Hawaiian.  It  is  the  national 
dish,  the  one  distinctive  article  of  food  that 
marks  off  the  island  cooking  from  all  others. 

Poi  is  not  only  a  most  healthful  and 
nutritious  food,  but  one  that  commends 
itself  to  the  civilized  palate. 

The  taro  plant  seems  to  have  been 
derived  originally  from  India,  whence  it 
was  widely  diffused.  It  grows  freely  along 
the  muddy  banks  of  streams  and  in  wet 
places  all  over  the  islands  at  low  altitudes. 

The  abundant  rainfall  in  some  portions 
of  the  island  of  Hawaii,  especially  about 
Hilo,  makes  it  possible  to  cultivate  taro  on 
the  uplands,  and  its  broad,  arrow-head- 
shaped  leaves  of  dark  green  are  a  familiar 
sight  around  most  of  the  native  houses. 

A  patch  of   taro,   after   being   planted, 


POI-MAKING   IN   HAWAII. 


149 


requires  a  year  or  more  to  come  to 
maturity.  The  plants  require  little  care 
or  cultivation  during  this  long  period,  and 
once  ready  for  digging,  the  crop  is  a  per- 
petual one,  for  the  native  plants  as  he  digs. 
It  is  necessary  only  to  cut  off  the  tops  of 


TARO   AND   PO1    DISHES. 


the  tubers  and  insert  them  into  the  mucky 
soil,  where  they  soon  take  root  and  flourish. 

The  amount  of  food  supplied  by  a  fair- 
sized  taro  patch  is  prodigious.  Probably 
a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  thrifty  taro  will  feed 
a  good-sized  family. 

The  leaves  when  young  are  tender  and 
succulent,  and  when  boiled  make  most 


150  POI-MAKING   IN  HAWAII. 

delicious  greens.  These  are  known  to 
the  natives  as  luau,  and  this  name  came 
to  be  applied  also  to  a  native  feast.  To 
Europeans  it  now  signifies  almost  any 
merrymaking  on  the  part  of  the  natives. 

But  it  is  the  root,  or  more  properly  the 
tuber,  of  the  taro  plant  that  is  most  highly 
prized.  When  taken  from  the  ground  this 
is  of  a  dark  brown  color  and  shaped  like  a 
beet,  but  larger. 

While  in  the  raw  state,  taro  is  entirely 
too  acrid  for  the  palate  of  any  animal,  save 
the  hog,  and  it  is  by  no  means  relished  even 
by  piggy.  Thorough  cooking,  however, 
destroys  the  acrid  principle. 

Baked  taro  root  is  most  toothsome,  and 
in  general  character  is  much  like  the  sweet 
potato.  Baked  in  the  shape  of  cakes,  with 
a  nice  brown  crust,  it  appeals  to  the  taste 
even  of  the  most  epicurean ;  but  it  is  in  the 
shape  of  poi  that  it  is  most  acceptable  to 
the  natives. 

The    following   is   the    ancient   way   of 


POI-MAKING   IN   HAWAII.  151 

making  the  staple  article :  After  being 
well  washed,  the  tubers  are  placed  in  an 
oblong  pit  in  the  ground,  in  which  a  goodly 
number  of  stones  have  been  heated  very 
hot.  Tubers  and  stones  well  mingled 
together  are  then  covered  with  a  thick 
layer  of  broad,  green  leaves,  as  of  the 
banana,  or  of  the  taro.  Water  is  then 
poured  over  all  to  insure  plenty  of  steam, 
and  the  whole  is  covered  with  earth. 
After  steaming  several  hours,  the  roots  are 
soft  and  ready  for  pounding,  the  skin 
having  first  been  scraped  off. 

So  far  the  women  may  have  done  the 
work.  Now  it  is  the  men's  turn. 

The  poi  board  is  about  four  feet  long 
and  two  feet  broad,  slightly  hollowed  out, 
rounded  at  the  ends,  and  may  be  likened 
to  a  huge  platter.  Usually  it  is  made  of 
koa  wood,  which  is  much  like  mahogany 
in  hardness  and  durability,  and  something 
like  it  in  color. 

The  poi  pestle  is  made  from  a  bit  of 


152 


POI-MAKING  IN    HAWAII. 


solid,  hard-grained  basalt  rock,  carefully 
selected,  and  worked  into  the  shape  of  a 
short,  broad  pestle  which  weighs  several 
pounds. 

Seating  himself  on  the  ground,  with  the 
board  between  his  outstretched  legs  so  as 


MAKING    POI. 


to  steady  it,  the  Hawaiian  swings  the  pestle 
well  behind  the  head,  often  with  both 
hands,  and  brings  it  heavily  down  upon  one 
of  the  tubers,  which  is  soon  reduced  to  a 
pulpy,  dough-like  mass. 

Other   roots   are   then  added,  and   the 


POT-MAKING   IN   HAWAII.  153 

mass  under  the  stone  soon  grows  larger 
and  the  pile  of  tubers  as  steadily  dimin- 
ishes. 

Poi  is  sticky  stuff,  and  the  stone  has  to 
be  dipped  frequently  into  water  while  the 
dough  is  continually  patted  with  wetted 
hands,  and  lifted  from  the  board  to  prevent 
it  from  sticking. 

Poi  is  well-made  when  the  dough  is  of 
an  even  consistency  throughout,  and  is  free 
from  lumps.  This  means  that  it  must  be 
steadily  pounded  for  an  hour  or  two.  The 
dough  is  then  firm  and  stiff;  and  it  is  in 
this  condition  that  it  is  sold  for  consump- 
tion. 

Poi  is  ready  to  be  eaten  after  it  is  thinned 
with  water  to  the  consistency  of  good 
paste;  but  it  is  not  much  esteemed  till 
after  it  has  stood  for  at  least  twenty-four 
hours  or  more,  when  it  begins  to  ferment 
and  sour.  It  gets  more  and  more  palatable 
for  several  days,  the  slight  acidity  adding 
much  to  its  flavor.  Poi  is  also  thought  to 


154  POI-MAKING   IN   HAWAII. 

be  more  easily  digested  in  the  fermented 
state. 

Unappreciative  Europeans,  not  to  the 
manner  trained,  are  apt  to  describe  poi  as 
smelling  and  tasting  like  billstickers'  paste. 
It  may  be  so.  If  true,  it  only  proves,  not 
that  poi  is  bad,  but  that  we  have  hitherto 
overlooked  a  delicious  article  of  food  in 
billstickers'  paste. 

When  it  comes  to  the  eating  of  the  poi, 
there  are  several  methods.  The  one  that 
finds  favor  with  most  Europeans  is  to  eat 
it  with  a  fork  or  a  spoon,  but  such  is  not 
the  Hawaiian  method.  The  native  early 
discovered  that  the  first  two  fingers  of  the 
right  hand  were  made  to  eat  poi  with,  and 
the  primitive  way  is  still  good  enough  for 
the  modern  Hawaiian. 

The  two  fingers  are  dipped  into  the 
sticky  mess  to  just  below  the  first  joint, 
and  withdrawn  with  a  neat  little  flourish 
which  wraps  the  paste  nicely  around 
them.  If  the  fingers  are  thrust  into  the 


POI-MAKING   IN   HAWAII.  155 

mouth  and  withdrawn  properly,  the  poi  is 
all  left  behind. 

When  a  native  family  is  at  dinner,  the 
poi  pot  is  the  centre  dish.  Into  it  are 
dipped  in  turn  the  fingers  of  each  member 
of  the  family,  from  the  oldest  to  the 
youngest. 

Taro  poi  is  the  real  and  only  accepted 
poi  among  the  Hawaiians,  but  breadfruit 
treated  in  the  same  manner  makes  an 
equally  nice  food,  and  by  some  it  is  even 
more  highly  esteemed. 

Breadfruit  -  trees  are  not  overabundant 
in  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  nor,  I  am  told, 
are  they  so  large  or  so  prolific  of  their 
fine  fruit  as  in  the  southern  islands,  where 
the  poi  is  mostly  made  from  breadfruit. 

So  wedded  to  their  poi  are  the  Hawaiians 
that  when  they  can  get  neither  taro  nor 
breadfruit,  I  have  seen  them  make  a  sort  of 

poi  from  flour. 

PROF.  H.  W.  HENSHAW. 


The  Samoan   Islands. 

Tutuila,  the  latest  acquisition  of  the 
United  States,  is  one  of  the  three  most 
important  of  the  Samoan  Islands,  which 
number  nine,  besides  several  uninhabitable 
rocky  islets.  These  islands  were  little 
known  until  1830,  when  native  teachers 
from  the  Society  Islands  first  landed. 

On  account  of  the  numerous  canoes 
which  were  seen,  and  the  great  dexterity 
of  the  natives  in  paddling  them  through 
the  surf,  the  islands  were  called  the  Nav- 
igators Islands,  but  Samoa  is  the  native 
name  for  the  group. 

As  approached  from  the  water,  the 
islands  are  very  beautiful.  They  rise  up 
by  gradual  ascent  inland  to  the  height  of 
four  thousand  or  five  thousand  feet.  The 
hills  are  clothed  with  abundant  vegetation 
to  the  very  summit,  an  effect  of  rich  green 
to  which  the  spreading  foliage  of  the 


THE   SAMOAN   ISLANDS.  157 

breadfruit   and   picturesque  stateliness  of 
the  cocoanut-trees  largely  contribute. 

In  addition  to  these  features,  picture  to 
yourself  villages  situated  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills  near  the  shore,  and  canoes  full  of 
natives  navigating  these  waters,  or  steering 
skilfully  through  the  surf,  and  you  will  have 


rHE   SHORE. 


a  pretty  good  general  idea  of  the  islands  as 
seen  by  the  first  visitors  in  the  days  of 
heathen  Samoa. 

The  natives  are  not  negroes,  but  are 
probably  descended  from  the  same  stock 
as  the  people  of  the  Malayan  peninsula, 
some  of  whom,  in  remote  times,  may  have 


158    •  THE   SAMOAN    ISLANDS. 

gradually  drifted  to  these  far-away  islands. 
They  are  of  a  bright  copper  color,  have 
good  features  and  black  hair.  Many  of  the 
women  are  very  pretty  and  graceful,  and 
have  fine,  regular  white  teeth. 

Their  language  is  a  very  soft  and  liquid 
one.  Not  counting  letters  added  from  the 
English,  it  has  only  fourteen  letters,  five  of 
which  are  vowels.  A  curious  thing  about 
their  language  is  that  they  used  to  have 
a  special  dialect  of  respect  for  chiefs  and 
strangers,  which  might  not  be  used  in 
addressing  any  one  else,  and  which  it 
was  an  insult  to  forget  to  use  to  the  right 
parties. 

The  Samoans  were  always  very  clean- 
ly of  person,  bathing  very  frequently. 
Mothers  would  take  their  infant  children 
into  the  water  on  their  backs,  and  little 
mites  of  three  or  four  years  of  age  would 
paddle  about  in  the  water  without  the 
slightest  fear.  The  result  has  been  that, 
to  this  day,  the  natives,  both  men  and 


THE   SAMOAN    ISLANDS. 


159 


women,  are  very  expert  in  the  water,  and 
can  swim  and  dive  like  fishes. 

Little  boys  will  swim  about  in  the  boil- 
ing surf,  and  even  for  amusement  allow 


PRETTY    AND   GRACEFUL. 


themselves  to  be  carried  on  the  waves  right 
over  the  reefs,  with  nothing  but  a  small 
piece  of  wood  to  hold  on  to.  An  instance 


160  THE   SAMOAN   ISLANDS. 

occurred  in  my  father's  time  of  a  woman 
swimming  eighteen  miles. 

The  native  houses  originally  consisted 
of  nothing  more  than  several  uprights  sup- 
porting a  roof  of  breadfruit  wood,  thatched 
with  leaves  of  the  sugar-cane  sewn  to- 
gether with  sinnet  (cocoanut  fibre). 

The  sides  were  open  save  on  occasions, 
such  as  the  rainy  season,  when  the  space 
from  roof  to  ground  was  screened  by 
sewing  leaves  together.  To  protect  them- 
selves from  mosquitoes,  each  sleeper 
would  form  a  kind  of  tent  or  bed-curtain 
by  hanging  a  piece  of  siapo  (native  cloth) 
over  a  cross-bar,  and  creep  underneath. 

Meals  were  taken  under  this  common 
roof,  each  one  of  the  family  sitting  cross- 
legged  on  the  ground,  and  having  his 
portion  before  him  on  a  leaf.  A  half  cocoa- 
nut  shell,  often  carved  and  stained,  served 
as  a  drinking-cup.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  in 
this  connection,  that  it  was  quite  the  custom 
for  the  father  of  the  family  to  ask  the 


THE   SAMOAN   ISLANDS.  161 

blessing  of  the  gods  before  commencing 
meals,  and  at  the  same  time,  after  the 
manner  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  to  pour 
out  a  libation  of  kava  drink. 

The  cooking  was  done  in  a  primitive  but 
effective  manner,  by  means  of  hot  stones. 
A  hole  was  dug,  into  which  stones  were 
put,  and  upon  them  a  hot  fire  was  built. 
So  soon  as  the  stones  were  thoroughly 
hot,  the  food — a  whole  pig  perhaps,  or  a 
quantity  of  fruits — was  put  upon  them  with 
some  more  hot  stones  on  top,  and  then  the 
whole  was  covered  with  leaves  and  earth 
for  a  half-hour  or  more.  The  result  was  a 
dinner  "done  to  a  turn,"  and  more  deli- 
cious than  if  done  in  one  of  our  ovens. 

For  great  feasts  the  provision  was  on 
a  most  extensive  scale,  and  for  days, 
even  weeks  before,  the  natives  would 
gather  together  fruits  and  pigs  at  a  speci- 
fied place  in  the  bush.  On  the  great  day 
there  was  a  mighty  roast,  say,  of  two 
hundred  or  three  hundred  pigs,  and 


162 


THE   SAMOAN   ISLANDS. 


vast    quantities   of    yams,    breadfruit   and 
cocoanuts. 

The    feast,  which   might  last  a  day  or 
several     days,    always     wound     up    with 


A  SAMOAN  FEAST. 


dancing  and  various  other  amusements. 
Indeed,  the  Samoans  are  very  fond  of 
amusements,  and  frequently  engage  in 
wrestling,  boxing, — both  men  and  women, 


THE  SAMOAN   ISLANDS.  163 

— canoe  races,  and  quite  a  number  of  other 
games,  including  practice  with  clubs  and 
spears. 

With  the  spear  and  club  they  are  very 
dexterous,  and  can,  with  unerring  aim,  put 
spear  after  spear  into  a  tree  at  the  distance 
of  fifty  or  eighty  paces. 

One  game,  which  is  also  a  war  drill,  is 
for  a  man,  armed  only  with  a  club,  to  stand 
at  a  distance  from  his  comrades  and  let 
them  throw  spears  at  him,  it  being  his  part 
to  strike  off  with  the  club  each  spear  as  it 
reaches  him.  Remembering  the  sure  aim 
of  those  who  throw,  you  can  see  that  it 
requires  much  practice  and  wonderful 
quickness  to  ward  off  the  spears,  but  they 
do  it  every  time. 

Their  spears  and  clubs  are  made  of  hard 
woods,  such  as  cocoanut  and  ironwood, 
and  are  often  carved.  The  natives  often 
tip  their  spears  with  ugly-looking  barbed 
points  which  tear  the  flesh  when  extracted. 

Canoeing  is  quite  a  part  of  their  life,  and 


164  THE   SAMOAN   ISLANDS. 

they  make  large  numbers  of  canoes,  from 
the  simple  dugout  to  the  large  war  canoe 
holding  fifty  or  one  hundred  people.  The 
boats  are  all  provided  with  outriggers,  for 
they  are  too  long  and  narrow  to  float  with- 
out them.  All  the  parts  of  the  canoe  are 


A   NATIVE   HOME. 


sewn  together  with  sinnet,  and  the  whole 
made  water  -  tight  with  a  covering  of 
resinous  gum. 

A  whole  article  might  be  written  upon 
the  religion  and  the  superstitions  of  the 
Samoans.  They  were  not  worshippers  of 
idols,  although  they  were  heathens.  Their 
religion  was  a  worship  of  spirits — spirits 


THE   SAMOAN   ISLANDS.  165 

without  number.  Each  person  was  sup- 
posed to  have  a  protecting  deity,  and  each 
village  had  one  also,  who  presided  over  the 
destinies  of  the  inhabitants. 

Their  religion,  with  its  strange  ideas  and 
elaborate  mythology,  is  now  for  the  most 
part  a  thing  of  the  past.  In  seventy  years, 
since  the  missionaries  landed,  the  people 
have  become  fairly  Christianized  and  civil- 
ized. They  have  given  up  their  supersti- 
tions, and  adopted  many  of  the  habits  and 
customs  of  the  white  men;  they  Irvje  in 
properly  built  houses,  and  on  special  occa- 
sions dress  in  the  same  style. 

The  missionaries  started  schools  and 
workshops,  and  taught  the  natives  reading, 
writing,  sewing  and  other  useful  things. 

They  now  have  self-supporting  churches 
and  schools,  and  contribute  largely  to 
missionary  work  elsewhere.  Natives  of 
Samoa  have  for  years  past  Heen  mission- 
aries Jo  other  islands. 

REV.  ROBT.  G.  HARBUTT. 


Tutuila  and  Manua. 

By  a  treaty  with  England  and  Germany, 
in  December,  1899,  our  republic  became 
the  owner  of  Tutuila,  the  third  largest 
island  of  the  Samoan  group,  and  of  four 
small  islands  lying  some  distance  to  the 
eastward. 

For  agricultural  purposes  the  two  larger 
Samoan  islands  present  greater  possibilities 
than  Tutuila,  but  ours  is  by  far  the  most 
valuable  to*  us  of  all  the  islands  in  the  South 
Pacific  Ocean,  because  it  contains  the  best 
harbor. 

As  early  as  1870  an  American  merchant 
called  the  attention  of  our  government  to 
the  need  of  a  coaling-station  in  the  Pacific, 
for  both  government  vessels  and  our  mer- 
chant marine.  He  reported  that  Pago- 
Pago,  on  the  south  side  of  Tutuila,  would 
satisfy  the  requirements  in  every  particular. 

It  has  a  spacious  bay  with  deep  water 


TUTUILA   AND   MANUA. 


167 


near  the  shore,  and  is  surrounded  by  high 
hills  which  offer  perfect  protection  to  the 
largest  navy  in  the  severest  tornado. 

When,  in  1873,  the  seven  Samoan  chiefs 
followed  the  suggestion  of  Americans  and 


PAGO-PAGO. 


elected  Malietoa  king,  a  portion  of  the 
harbor  of  Pago- Pago  was  set  off  for  the 
use  of  the  United  States  as  a  coaling- 
station. 

Throughout  the  misrule  following  the 
rebellion  of  1884,  to  the  present  time,  our 
government  kept  possession  of  Pago- Pago. 


168  TUTUILA  AND   MANUA. 

England  held  a  strong  interest  in  the 
educational  and  missionary  institutions  of 
Samoa.  Germany  had  agricultural  and 
commercial  interests  in  the  islands.  The 
three  nations  together  tried  to  preserve 
the  integrity  of  the  little  kingdom. 

But  intrigue  and  rebellion  continued, 
and  when  it  was  found  that  the  native 
government  was  not  strong  enough  to 
keep  the  peace,  it  was  decided  to  divide 
the  kingdom,  and  the  United  States  re- 
ceived the  part  that  was  of  most  use  to  us. 

Pago- Pago  harbor  will  always  be  valu- 
able as  a  coaling-station.  It  may  possibly 
become  a  commercial  centre  for  all  the 
groups  of  islands  in  that  part  of  the  Pacific. 

It  is  located  near  the  routes  of  the  large 
transpacific  steamers  from  San  Francisco 
and  Vancouver  to  Australia  and  New 
Zealand,  and  it  is  the  only  harbor  on  their 
route,  except  Honolulu,  that  those  large 
steamers  can  enter. 

As  the  products  of  the   Pacific  islands 


TUTUILA  AND   MANUA.  169 

increase  under  the  stimulus  of  civilization, 
we  may  confidently  expect  to  see  a  growing 
and  thriving  commercial  city  at  Pago- Pago. 

Tutuila  is  about  seventeen  miles  long 
and  five  miles  wide.  A  ridge  of  mountains 
runs  trie  whole  length  of  the  island,  with 
peaks  rising  some  four  thousand  feet  high. 

The  surface  is  so  rocky  that  there  are 
few  cultivated  fields,  yet  wherever  there  is 
a  bit  of  soil  it  is  very  fertile  and  will  bear 
abundant  crops  of  every  vegetable  and 
fruit  needed  by  man.  Breadfruit,  bananas, 
yams,  taro  and  sweet  potatoes  grow  freely. 
Cocoanuts  may  be  gathered  every  day  in 
the  year. 

The  only  export  is  copra,  the  dried  fruit 
of  the  cocoanut.  Preparing  this,  and  weav- 
ing clothing  and  mats  from  the  bark  of  the 
paper  mulberry  are  the  only  manufactures 
of  the  people,  and  weaving  is  rapidly 
diminishing  since  the  importation  of 
cheap  cotton  prints. 

The  population  of  Tutuila  is  about  four 


170 


TUTUILA  AND   MANUA. 


thousand,  living  in  some  thirty  villages 
scattered  along  the  shores  of  the  island 
and  by  the  little  streams  from  the  moun- 
tains, where  it  is  easy  to  raise  their  poultry 
and  pigs,  and  gather  their  fruits  and  vege- 
tables, and  is  convenient  to  catch  fish  in 


Mat. 


SAVAII 


SAMOAN  15 


UPOLU 


LANDS 


TUTUILA 


SAMOA  AND  MANUA. 


their  waters.  They  are  a  superior  branch 
of  Polynesians,  fairly  well  educated  by 
missionaries,  and  they  strictly  observe 
the  Christian  Sabbath. 

United  States  money  has  been  the 
standard  currency  for  twenty  years,  and 
American  rule  is  welcomed  by  the  natives. 
When  the  American  officer  arrived  to  take 
possession  of  Tutuila,  the  leading  men  of 


TUTUILA  AND   MANUA.  171 

the  island  met  him  with  enthusiasm  and 
presented  him  with  a  formal  deed  of  ces- 
sion, and  at  the  same  time  assured  him  of 
their  joy  at  coming  under  the  Stars  and 
Stripes. 

Reports  indicate  that  many  families  from 
the  other  Samoan  islands  have  lately 
moved  to  Tutuila,  because  they  preferred 
the  advantages  of  American  schools  and 
the  liberal  privileges  of  the  American 
government. 

About  seventy  miles  northeast  of  Tutuila 
we  own  the  Manua  group  of  three  islands, 
Tau,  Ofu  and  Olosenga,  all  rocky  islands 
like  Tutuila. 

Tau  is  seven  miles  in  diameter;  the 
other  two  islands  extend  about  a  mile  in 
the  longest  direction.  Vegetation  is  luxu- 
riant on  every  inch  of  soil  and  in  the 
crevices  of  the  rocks. 

The  population  is  nearly  a  thousand  well- 
educated  Christian  people,  who  boast  that 
they  have  always  been  independent  in 


172  TUTUILA  AND   MANUA. 

government  and  rejoice  to  be  called 
Americans. 

When  they  heard  of  the  voluntary  ces- 
sion of  Tutuila,  their  chiefs  begged  the 
privilege  of  making  a  similar  cession  of 
Manua.  Their  allegiance  was  accepted, 
and  with  imposing  ceremonies ;  the  Ameri- 
can flag  was  raised  in  the  presence  of  the 
United  States  officers  and  a  great  multi- 
tude of  natives. 

Rose  Island,  the  smallest  of  our  Samoan 
possessions,  is  about  ninety  miles  southeast 
of  Tau.  It  is  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  its 
highest  point  is  only  about  fifty  feet  above 
the  sea,  so  that  in  the  severest  storms 
waves  must  dash  over  most  of  the  island ; 
yet  there  are  indications  that  formerly  it 
was  covered  with  vegetation. 


Guam. 

The  first  American  military  expedition 
to  the  Philippine  Islands  stopped  on  the 
way  June  20,  1898,  to  take  possession  of 
Guam,  the  southernmost  and  largest  of  the 
Ladrone  Islands. 

This  act  was  a  war  measure  to  provide  a 
safe  harbor  between  Honolulu  and  Manila 
for  a  coaling  -  station,  or  for  temporary 
repairs  if  needed  by  our  transports  on  the 
way  to  Manila. 

Guam  is  so  far  from  ordinary  communi- 
cation with  the  continents  that  when  the 
Americans  arrived,  the  governor  had  not 
heard  of  the  war,  and  supposed  the  guns 
were  fired  as  a  salute. 

The  governor  surrendered  the  whole 
chain  of  fifteen  islands,  but  our  government 
at  the  Treaty  of  Paris  gave  back  all  but 
Guam  to  Spain,  who  promptly  disposed  of 
them  to  Germany. 


174 


GUAM. 


The  Governor  of  the  Ladrones  and  all 
his  Spanish  garrison  were  taken  prisoners 
of  war  and  carried  to  Manila.  An  Ameri- 
can citizen  living  on  the  island  was  made 
temporary  governor,  and  put  in 
command  of  the  native  guard. 
It  is  a  credit  to  both  this  man 
and  the  people  of  Guam  that 
uninterrupted  peace  prevailed 
till  the  coming  of  the  Americans 
to  take  formal  posses- 
sion in  February,  1899. 
In  July  of  the  same 
year,  Capt.  Richard  P. 
Leary  of  the  United 
States  cruiser  Yosemite 
arrived  as  governor, 
and  proceeded  to 
establish  a  permanent 
civil  government,  under  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment of  the  United  States.  His  garrison 
was  formed  of  marines,  and  the  Yosemite 
served  as  protection  to  the  port. 


THE 
LADRONES 
AND  GUAM. 


GUAM. 


175 


Guam  is  about  twenty-six  miles  long 
and  about  five  miles  wide  across  the  cen- 
tre, the  narrowest  part;  it  widens  toward 
each  end.  The  capital,  Agafia,  is  midway 
along  the  northwestern  side,  and  seven 


LANDING  -  PLACE  AT  PITI. 


miles  farther  west  is  Piti,  the  landing-place 
of  Port  San  Luis  de  Apra,  one  of  the  best 
insular  harbors  of  the  Pacific. 

Under  Governor  Leary  the  bay  has  been 
surveyed  and  charted,  so  that  its  narrow 
entrance  is  safe  for  vessels  of  all  sizes, 
although  the  water  shoals  near  the  shore, 


176  GUAM. 

so  that  landing  must  be  made  in  small 
boats. 

Guam  is  greatly  favored  in  climate  and 
soil.  Nearly  every  fruit  and  vegetable 
needed  by  man  grows  on  the  island,  and 
vegetation  on  the  hills  is  very  dense.  Near 
Agana  is  the  central  valley,  in  which  rice, 
taro,  sugar-cane,  bananas,  cocoanuts  and 
other  tropical  fruits  and  vegetables  grow. 

To  the  north  extends  a  plateau,  bearing 
coffee  and  all  subtropical  and  temperate 
zone  vegetables.  These  same  products, 
together  with  valuable  woods,  grow  in  the 
southern  portion.  Along  its  western  side 
extends  a  high  ridge  of  hills,  at  some 
places  rising  abruptly  from  the  sea. 

The  only  export  under  Spanish  rule  was 
copra,  and  that  went  in  trade  to  Japan. 
Now  that  the  steam  sawmill  has  been  set 
up;  we  may  expect  a  sale  of  colored  woods, 
and  later  an  export  of  a  very  choice  coffee, 
and  possibly  sugar  and  rice. 

Heretofore  there  has  been  no  induce- 


GUAM. 


177 


ment  to  raise  crops  or  manufacture  any- 
thing beyond  the  family  necessities. 
Almost  everybody  owns  land,  and  lives 
happily  in  raising  his  own  pigs  and  poultry, 
and  all  the  fruit  and  vegetables  needed  for 
his  family.  His  home  is  in  one  of  the 

picturesque  little 
villages  along  the 
shore,  embow- 
r«fc  ered  in  palms  and 
profuse  shrub- 
bery. 

The  usual  dwell- 
ing is  the  Nipa 
hut  with  bamboo  walls.  Some  more  ambi- 
tious families  will  build  of  hand  -  made 
planks,  and  a  few  wealthy  families  have 
houses  made  like  their  small  churches,  of 
the  soft  limestone  of  the  island.  The  finest 
house  of  all  is  the  governor's  palace  at 
Agana,  which  was  made  to  include  the 
post-office  and  police  headquarters. 

The  uniform  climate,  having  a  temper- 


A   NIPA   HUT. 


178  GUAM. 


ature  within  eighty  to  eighty-four  degrees 
throughout  the  year,  with  a  constant  breeze, 
and  a  great  abundance  of  food  of  every 
variety  have  developed  a  superior  branch 


AN   EASY   LIFE. 


of  the  Malay  race.  They  welcome  visitors 
and  have  been  quick  to  respond  to  the 
influence  of  civilization. 

They  are  a  happy  people,  and  enjoy  the 
amusements  of  holidays.  Among  their 
sports  cock-fighting  has  become  almost  a 


GUAM.  179 

passion.  The  people  are  naturally  neat; 
their  scanty  clothing  permits  frequent 
bathing.  The  men  usually  dress  in  shirt 
and  trousers,  with  the  former  outside,  and 
often  omitted  when  at  work. 

The  women's  dress  consists  of  a  white 
jacket  with  low  neck  and  loose,  short 
sleeves  and  a  cotton  skirt  of  bright  colors. 
On  "dress  occasions,"  or  among  the 
wealthy,  the  jacket  is  embroidered,  in 
some  cases  to  the  extent  of  making  it  a 
very  costly  garment.  Heelless  slippers  of 
bright  colors  are  worn,  but  in  ordinary  life 
almost  everybody  goes  barefooted. 

There  is  a  schoolhouse  in  nearly  every 
village,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  people 
can  read  and  write  in  their  own  language, 
and  many,  especially  the  half  -  breeds, 
understand  some  Spanish  and  English. 
The  latter  they  learned  in  past  years  from 
American  traders  and  whalers. 

The  latest  and  greatest  improvements 
have  been  made  by  the  establishment  of 


180  GUAM. 

American  schools,  and  the  introduction 
of  American  machines  and  agricultural 
implements.  The  people  take  readily  to 
instruction  in  manual  labor,  and  the 
patriotic  songs  of  America  fascinate  them. 
In  nearly  every  home  at  least  one  member 
of  the  family  can  play  a  musical  instrument 
of  some  kind. 

With  the  little  government  entirely  free 
from  politics,  as  it  will  naturally  be  under 
the  Navy  Department,  we  may  confidently 
expect  Guam  to  become  a  model  colony. 


The  Midway  Islands. 

For  a  thousand  miles  or  more  beyond 
Hawaii  toward  Japan  extends  a  shoal 
which  occasionally  touches  the  surface  in  a 
reef  or  little  island.  At  the  western  end 
of  this  irregular  shoal  are  three  islands, 
formerly  called  Brooks  Islands,  in  honor  of 
the  American  discoverer,  and  now  known 
as  the  Midway  Islands. 

The  smallest  is  a  mere  sandy  spit,  over 
which  the  waves  dash  in  storms.  The 
other  two  islands  are  each  four  or  five 
miles  long  and  about  a  mile  wide. 

There  is  no  indication  that  these  islands 
were  ever  inhabited,  but  the  soil  is  good, 
and  there  is  an  abundance  of  sweet  water, 
so  that  quite  a  large  colony  could  subsist 
on  the  tropical  fruits  that  might  be  raised, 
and  the  abundant  fish  and  turtle  that 
abound  in  the  lagoons  and  waters  sur- 
rounding these  islands. 


182  THE   MIDWAY   ISLANDS. 

The  possible  value  of  the  Midway 
Islands  lies  in  their  convenience  for  a 
relay-station  of  a  future  Pacific  cable  and 
for  a  coaling-station,  since  they  are  on  the 
direct  route  from  Honolulu  to  Yokohama. 
There  is  a  fine  and  safe  harbor  for  vessels 
no  larger  than  colliers,  and  outside  the 
harbor,  in  the  road-stead,  there  is  good 
anchorage  for  the  largest  steamers,  offering 
all  necessary  facilities  for  recoaling  in  fair 
weather. 

Captain  Brooks  discovered  the  islands 
in  1859.  The  American  government  took 
formal  possession  August  28,  1867,  and 
raised  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  highest 
point.  In  the  past  few  years  the  islands 
have  been  more  thoroughly  examined,  with 
a  view  of  establishing  a  permanent  station 
for  coaling  and  for  a  future  Pacific  cable. 

One  of  the  Midway  Islands  visited  by  the 
United  States  expedition  making  surveys 
for  the  Pacific  cable  is  described  as  inhab- 
ited by  an  almost  incredible  number  of 


THE   MIDWAY   ISLANDS.  183 

sea-birds.  Upon  fully  one-half  the  surface 
of  the  island  the  sand  was  literally  covered 
with  them,  and  the  noise  of  the  winged 
host  astonished  the  visitors.  A  few  land- 
birds  were  noticed  here  and  there  among 
them. 

The  Midway  albatross  refused  to  retreat 
before  the  invader,  and  bravely  faced  the 
foe.  But  it  is  none  the  braver  since  it  is 
now  American,  for  the  albatross  on  other 
islands  of  the  Pacific  has  so  little  fear  of 
man  that  it  will  scarcely  move  aside  to  let 
the  egg-hunters  plunder  its  nest. 

A  neighboring  island  from  which  newly 
laid  eggs  may  be  taken  every  day  would 
be  appreciated  by  a  colony  at  an  isolated 
cable-office  or  coaling-station. 


Wake  Island. 

Commander  Taussig  of  the  gunboat 
Bennington,  on  his  way  from  Honolulu  to 
Guam  in  February,  1899,  stopped  at  Wake 
Island,  and  took  formal  possession  of  it  in 
the  name  of  the  United  States. 

A  boat's  crew  was  sent  ashore,  a  flagstaff 
was  erected,  and  the  American  flag  was 
hoisted.  A  brass  plate  was  fastened  to 
the  flagstaff  to  record  the  date  of  the 
ceremony  and  its  meaning. 

This  little  bit  of  uninhabited  territory  in 
the  Pacific  lies  very  near  the  route  from 
Honolulu  to  Guam  and  the  Philippines, 
and  we  are  therefore  naturally  interested 
in  it. 

The  claim  of  the  United  States  to  this 
island  is  based  on  original  discovery  in  the 
year  1796  by  Captain  Wake,  who  gave  his 
name  to  the  island.  It  was  also  visited  by 
a  United  States  exploring  expedition  and 


WAKE   ISLAND.  185 

officially  described  to  the  government 
together  with  other  islands  of  the  Pacific. 

Wake  Island  is  of  coral  formation  and  is 
about  four  miles  long  and  two  miles  wide. 
It  is  of  so  slight  elevation  that  in  severest 
storms  the  spray  of  the  waves  may  possibly 
be  driven  all  over  it.  This  may  account 
for  the  fact  that  there  are  no  large  trees  on 
the  island,  but  only  shrubs  and  low  vege- 
tation, with  an  entire  lack  of  fresh  water. 

As  Wake  Island  is  nearly  in  a  direct  line 
from  Hawaii  to  the  Philippines,  it  would  be 
a  good  location  for  a  cable-station.  Its 
lack  of  harbor  and  lack  of  food  and  water 
for  man,  however,  would  make  it  a  very 
lonely  dwelling-place. 

Yet  it  is  possible  to  make  it  habitable. 
An  enbankment  could  be  made  far  enough 
from  the  water's  edge  to  protect  all  the 
land  within,  and  an  abundance  of  food 
could  be  raised  on  even  a  small  area. 

Rain  -  water  in  abundance  could  be 
obtained  from  roofs  and  catch-basins,  and 


186  WAKE  ISLAND. 

stored  in  cisterns,  as  is  the  custom 
in  Bermuda.  The  neighboring  waters 
abound  in  fish. 

Doubtless,  if  our  government  ever 
establishes  a  cable-station  at  Wake  Island, 
which  is  not  at  all  improbable,  American 
ingenuity  will  invent  some  means  of 
making  the  place  habitable,  not  only  for 
the  cablemen,  but  for  some  neighbors. 


The  Guano   Islands. 

In  August,  1856,  Congress  authorized 
and  encouraged  American  citizens  to 
discover  and  occupy  any  unclaimed  islands 
containing  guano,  wherever  they  might  be 
found. 

In  a  few  years  following  the  United 
States  took  authority  over  about  seventy 
small  islands,  some  of  them  mere  reefs, 
which  had  apparently  been  the  undisturbed 
homes  of  multitudes  of  water-fowl  for 
countless  ages. 

At  that  time  the  idea  of  territorial 
expansion  did  not  prevail  in  this  country, 
and  the  government  did  not  pretend  to 
claim  permanent  ownership.  It  merely 
protected  the  American  citizen  or  company 
in  the  business  of  removing  guano  from 
these  islands. 

They  are  called  bonded  islands  because 
the  men  or  companies  operating  them  gave 


188  THE  GUANO   ISLANDS. 

bonds  to  comply  with  the  provisions  made 
by  our  government  concerning  their 
business  and  its  relation  to  other  nations, 
and  to  relinquish  all  claims  to  the  land 
after  they  had  removed  the  guano. 

About  a  dozen  of  the  Guano  Islands  are 
in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  some  fifty  or 
more  are  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  scattered 
from  eight  degrees  north  of  the  equator 
to  twelve  degrees  south,  and  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  degrees  west  longitude. 

A  very  few  lie  outside  these  limits,  as 
guano  accumulates  only  on  small  un- 
inhabited islands  in  the  comparatively 
rainless  regions  near  the  equator,  where 
the  birds  have  been  undisturbed  in  raising 
their  young  through  the  centuries. 

In  regions  of  great  rainfall  the  heavy 
showers  would  be  pitiless  to  the  young 
birds,  and  the  floods  would  every  year 
wash  off  the  guano  deposits. 

When  the  islands  were  first  bonded  the 


THE  GUANO   ISLANDS.  189 

guano  sold  at  a  very  high  price  as  a 
fertilizer,  but  since  the  immense  beds  of 
phosphates  have  been  discovered  in  our 
Southern  States,  the  demand  for  guano 
has  so  decreased  that  shipments  are  no 
longer  very  profitable. 

At  least  one  of  the  islands  in  the  Carib- 
bean Sea  has  been  sold  to  Venezuela,  and 
several  of  the  Pacific  islands  lying  near  the 
British  possessions  of  the  Phoenix  Islands 
have  been  given  to  England,  and  other 
small  islands  have  been  abandoned. 


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